The Crest Of Courage
by Tom
Summary: A twist in time, a twisted mind. What really happened to Sam Ichijouji? Are there other worlds besides ours and the Digiworld? Can the hero of Courage prevail one last time against the darkness? Part 5 is now up, please R&R!!!
1. Part 1: Return to the Digital World

**The Crest of Courage**

Part I: Return to the Digital World 

            "Tai! Here!" Matt called as the soccer ball went flying upfield. Tai took it and began dribbling toward the opposing team's goal. "Tai, pass it! I'm open!" Joe called out. Tai considered his options. With Sora closing in on his left, and Izzy moving up from behind, he didn't have many. He made his decision: "Joe! Take the shot!" Tai executed a perfectly aimed pass straight at Joe. But true to his nature, Joe tripped over his own two feet and went sprawling in the dirt. The ball bounced off Joe's head and flew straight into the waiting talons of Biyomon, who immediately began flying in the opposite direction. "Hey, no fair flying with the ball!" Matt shouted. Biyomon ignored him and continued flying toward Tai's goal. "Agumon, get ready!" Tai shouted. Agumon crouched low in the goal, getting ready to block Biyomon's shot. But he never got the chance. "_Boom Bubble, PAH!!" Patamon called. The blast of air was enough to make Biyomon lose her balance and fall tumbling to the ground, landing in the arms of a waiting T.K., who took the ball and began dribbling upfield. "I've got him, Sora!" Izzy yelled, closing in behind T.K. _

            Suddenly, Izzy stopped running and sat down on the hard-packed dirt with an audible _plunk. "Izzy, what's wrong now?" Tentomon asked somewhat irritably, as Matt took a shot at their nearly defenseless goal to score a point. "I heard my computer make this funny noise." said Izzy, bending over his backpack to pull his laptop computer out. In the background, Matt and Tai were exchanging high-fives and slaps on the back. "Is THAT ALL?!" Tentomon shouted. "Forget it then, I'm going to go curl up with Gatomon!" Tentomon turned away from Izzy in a huff and flew toward Gatomon, who ran and hid behind Kari. _

            "All RIGHT!!!" Tai shouted, still busy bragging about the goal his team had scored. "You're the man, Matt!" "YES!" Matt shouted. "Did you see the way I faked out…" His words were cut off by a loud screech from Tentomon, who had been sneaking up on Gatomon from behind. "_Lightning Paw!" yelled Gatomon, slashing Tentomon across the face. Tentomon began screaming hysterically and launched himself into the arms of Izzy, who swatted him away angrily. _

            "Quiet down, everyone!" Izzy shouted. "We've got mail from Gennai!" Everyone immediately stopped their shouting, even Tentomon, and crowded around Izzy to get a better look at the computer screen. The screen showed an image of a file opening- very, _very slowly. "Can't you open that any faster?" asked Gatomon. "Sorry," Izzy said, "But downloading files all the way from the Digital World takes time." Finally, after what seemed like an hour, but was probably no more than about five minutes, the familiar image of the old, balding man filled the monitor. Gennai peered into the monitor intently as if straining to see something, then looked up with a start. "Hello, Digi-Destined!" Gennai said cheerfully. "It seems there is a slight problem here in the Digital World that requires your assistance." "EVIL DIGIMON ARE TAKING OVER THE CITY! HELP!!!" a voice in the background began screaming. Gennai made a shushing motion with the back of his hand. "Don't mind her, she's always been a bit over-excited," Gennai muttered. "Anyway," he said, brightening, "it is imperative that you return to the digital world at once." Hysterical screaming erupted in the background. "The cheese is in the refrigerator, dear," Gennai muttered. "Oh yes," said Gennai, "and remember, don't do drugs." The screen went blank. _

            "Why does he always give us these nonsense messages at the end of every download?" asked Agumon curiously. "Yeah, it sounds like he's quoting a self-help tape or something," Kari said, giggling. "Cut the chatter, guys!" Tai commanded. "Now, how about this mission? I don't know about you guys, but I'm for it." "Let's do it!" said Sora. "I'm in," Izzy said thoughtfully. " I hope my hair doesn't get too messy!" Mimi exclaimed in horror. "Why not?" Kari said. "Yeah," T.K. said, "It's just another chance for all of us to get together and have some fun." "We're doomed!" Joe said cheerfully. "Good!" Tai said, "Then it's settled. We leave in two hours." The Digi-Destined split up to make their separate preparations. "Why doesn't anyone EVER ask the Digimon about these things?" moaned Tentomon.

            Two hours later, after the Digi-Destined had all packed according to their various needs ("Wanna bet Mimi's suitcase is full of hair supplies?" Tai smirked.) Izzy sat down again to open up his laptop. "That's strange," Izzy muttered thoughtfully. "It usually doesn't take _this long to load. And I'm reading a strange power drain…." "Oh, don't worry about it." Tai interjected. "Just open the Digital portal!" Izzy frowned thoughtfully. "All right, here goes. I just hope you know what you're doing, Tai." Tai was about to protest, but a violent, eye-tearing blue light erupting in mid-air stopped him before he could make a sound. No matter how much he did it, this part always made him nervous. "All right, gang," Tai said, trying to sound brave, "Let's do it!!! Oh, and Mimi, give Davis and the others a call, would you? We might need some backup." Hoping he didn't sound too worried, Tai stepped into the pulsating blue gateway…._

***

            Meanwhile, in the Digital World, Leomon sat enjoying a cup of tea with Elecmon in the Primary Village. "It's nice to see you again, Elecmon," Leomon rumbled from his position next to the window. "It's nice to see you, too, Leomon." Elecmon laughed pleasurably as a tiny, newly digivolved Koromon nestled up against his stomach. "So, how are things on File Island?"             Leomon was just about to answer when a low, ominous rumbling resounded through the village. The tiny Koromon was shaken from Elecmon's lap and fell to the floor, where it ran, whimpering, for safety. "What's that noise, Elecmon?" Leomon asked. "I don't know- I've never heard anything like it before!" Elecmon exclaimed, his eyes wide. _Perhaps the Digi-Destined really hadn't __defeated all the evil Digimon when the Dark Masters were destroyed, Elecmon thought. Abruptly, the rumbling ceased, and a strange, pulsing red glow appeared on the horizon. "Come on, Leomon," Elecmon said urgently. He opened the door to the little hut and strode out purposefully.             Drawing his sword, Leomon followed. He was not prepared, however, for the sight that greeted him. A tall, menacing figure cloaked all in black stood before the village greens. It wasn't the figure, however, that got Leomon's attention. The black-cloaked stranger was sitting astride a gigantic Dark Tyrannomon. Leomon couldn't help but take an involuntary step backward, as the Dark Tyrannomon towered above him by a good eight feet. The stranger raised an arm and gestured in the direction of the village. "Primary Village is now mine," he said, in a low, menacing voice. "Leave the village immediately or be destroyed." Leomon glanced at the horizon, where the strange, red glow flickered persistently. "Meramon," the stranger answered in response to Leomon's unspoken question, "Ready to attack Primary Village should you resist." He grinned coldly. "A few too many even for you, Leomon, wouldn't you agree?"             A low growl began to build in Leomon's throat, but surprisingly, it was Elecmon who spoke up next. "What do you want with Primary Village?" he asked in a quavering, yet resolved voice. "It is none of your business," the stranger snapped sharply. "It is enough for you to know that you shall either leave, or be destroyed." The cold grin was replaced by a strange, calculating look. "Your choice, Leomon." Leomon started forward, slowly, purposefully. "The village is not yours to order __anyone out of," he growled. "It is I who will destroy __you, for having threatened Primary Village. __Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon roared. The attack sped toward the stranger with amazing accuracy. "__Iron Tail!" Dark Tyrannomon rumbled. His enormous, dark tail swung toward Leomon, dissolving his attack.             The black-cloaked stranger turned toward the horizon, and gestured at Primary Village. "Meramon- attack!" he shouted. The dull red glow on the horizon flared up to a brilliant orange, and the wall of living fire began to close in on the village…             Meanwhile, Tai and the others emerged from the Digital Portal. In a flash of blinding blue light, the Portal disappeared behind them. Tai blinked his eyes to clear away the brightness- and then realized that not all of it was from the Portal. A strange, flickering orange glow flared bright against the horizon. "What's that?" T.K. asked, in a tone somewhere between excitement and utter terror. "I don't know, T.K.," said Matt. "Tai!" Mimi shouted, "That glow- it's coming from Primary Village!" "What?!" Tai exclaimed breathlessly. "We've got to hurry!" Mimi shouted. "Our friends may be in danger!" As one, the eight Digi-Destined began to run toward Primary Village.             "Elecmon!" Leomon roared. "We've got to stop those Meramon before they destroy Primary Village!" Elecmon nodded his assent. As one, the two Digimon rushed to meet the Meramon.             The stranger smiled atop Dark Tyrannomon. Everything was going according to plan… "__Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon roared, the attack punching its way straight __through one of the Meramon. "__Super Thunder Strike!" Elecmon yelled as he took off into the air. A flash of blinding light struck the Meramon from the sky, as Leomon attacked with his sword.             But the Meramon were not so helpless, either. As one, half a hundred fiery fists rose into the air. "__Fire Punch!" the Meramon cried. The combined blasts hit Elecmon and sent him tumbling from the sky. "One down, one to go…" the stranger in black muttered to himself. But he had not counted on Leomon. "__Fist of the Beast King!" he cried, desperate to reach his friend. "__Fire Punch!" the Meramon yelled, and Leomon took one-  two-  __three blows to the chest, but still he charged on. The curved sword Leomon wore on his back was in constant motion, slicing, stabbing, anything to reach Elecmon. But Elecmon wasn't out of the fight yet. "__Body Attack!" Elecmon shouted. Accelerating himself to fantastic velocities, Elecmon used his own body as a weapon, ramming into a Meramon. As he lay on the ground, momentarily dazed by the attack, a towering Meramon rose above him, ready to administer a fatal blow- only to be cut clean in half by a full swing of Leomon's sword. Several of the Meramon were actually in rout, fleeing from the combined onslaught of the two defenders. "Let's finish them, Elecmon!" Leomon growled.             Tai paused, breathless. "At this rate, we'll never make it!" "If we can get the Digimon to digivolve, we should be able to move a lot faster." Izzy pointed out. "Great idea, Izzy!" Tai said. "Okay guys, let's do it!!!" At once, a bright, white glow began emanating from Agumon. He began to grow, far taller than his previous height of three feet. The Digi-Destined backed up, anticipating Agumon's change in size. A dark, bony helmet grew to cover Agumon's face. Meanwhile, similar changes were happening with the other Digimon. _

"Agumon digivolve to… Greymon!"

"Biyomon digivolve to… Birdramon!"

Gabumon digivolve to… Garurumon!"

Tentomon digivolve to… Kabuterimon!"

            Now astride their newly digivolved Digimon, the eight Digi-Destined continued toward Primary Village.             Atop Dark Tyrannomon, the black-cloaked stranger watched with interest. Leomon and Elecmon were actually passably good… But in order to conquer Primary Village, they must both be destroyed. A pity, really- they would have made a valuable addition to his army. _But some loyalties are just too strong to be subverted, the stranger reminded himself. __Time to close the trap, then.             He nudged Dark Tyrannomon in the direction of the battle. "__Fire Blast!" Dark Tyrannomon bellowed, sending a huge blast of flame toward Elecmon, who leapt out of the way just in time, as the blast took out three of the remaining Meramon. "Tankmon, forward!" A heavy, pitch-black column of dust moved forward out of the shadows.             "Elecmon!" Leomon called out. "Those are Tankmon. If we stay here, we'll be finished!" "Speak for yourself, Leomon." Elecmon said. "As for me, I will defend Primary Village to the last. There's not even anywhere to run." Leomon glanced around at the encroaching circle of enemy Digimon and realized Elecmon was right. It had been a brilliant trap. Ahead, the column of Tankmon blocked any hope of advancing. Behind, Dark Tyrannomon sealed off any possible retreat. And all around them, the surviving Meramon prevented them from leaving. Leomon made his decision. "I'm staying with you, old friend," Leomon said softly. He turned to face the advancing Tankmon. "__Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon cried out. _

            The eight Digi-Destined continued their race toward Primary Village. "This is farther than I remembered, Tai." Greymon panted. "Come on, Greymon," Tai urged, "Not much farther now. It should be right ahead."

            "_Super Thunder Strike!" Elecmon cried out. A blinding flash of electricity leapt toward the advancing line of Tankmon. "Direct hit!" Elecmon shouted. But when the smoke had cleared away, the line of Tankmon was still advancing, untouched! "Elecmon!" Leomon called. "Concentrate on the Meramon- those Tankmon are Ultimate-level Digimon. Your attacks won't even touch them!" Elecmon leapt back, cat-quick, as a blast from the approaching Tankmon vaporized the spot where he had just been. "__Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon roared, aiming at the nearest Tankmon with all his power. The Tankmon was not destroyed- but the attack was enough to bend its main turret, so that when it attempted to fire on Leomon, the resulting explosion was sufficient to stop it in its tracks. "__Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon shouted once again. This time, the attack was enough to destroy the weakened Tankmon. An enormous explosion ripped through the air, throwing Leomon and Elecmon to the ground._

            "Wow," Izzy gasped as a shock wave of searing heat threw Garurumon to the ground; "It's getting hot up there!" "I just hope we're in time!" Tai called back, as Garurumon picked himself up and sprinted ahead to join the others.

            Elecmon hurtled through the air, the blast from the destroyed Tankmon throwing him back a good twenty feet. This turned out to be a good thing. "_Hyper Cannon!" a Tankmon rumbled, as a heavy blast of coherent light left a rather large crater where Elecmon had just been standing. Elecmon was about to heave a sigh of relief when an unusually tall Meramon appeared behind him. "__Fire Punch!" the Meramon cried out, as a blast of flame knocked Elecmon from his feet. The Meramon leapt forward and pinned Elecmon to the ground, holding him there, unable to escape. The Tankmon rumbled forward. "__Super Thunder Strike!" Elecmon called desperately. The Meramon hung on grimly. A ball of energy gathered at the end of Tankmon's blaster cannon. Elecmon closed his eyes and waited for the end. "Leomon!" Elecmon cried, "Save yourself! Primary Village is finished! I-" Elecmon never completed his words. "__Hyper Cannon!" Tankmon rumbled._

            _No! Elecmon! Leomon thought as he dove to avoid a new attack from Dark Tyrannomon. __I have to escape! Leomon thought desperately. __I must warn the Digi-Destined! "__Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon roared in cold fury. The Meramon on the receiving end of the attack simply disintegrated. "__Iron Tail!" Dark Tyrannomon roared from behind. The huge, dark tail swung about to connect with the sole surviving defender of Primary Village, and Leomon knew no more…_

            Atop Dark Tyrannomon, the Warlock Lord smiled coldly. The first phase of his plan to destroy the Digi-Destined had succeeded. He hadn't anticipated Leomon's interference. Leomon had been a good foe- he had cost the Dark Lord far more than he had expected to lose. He would have had a more enduring respect for his opponent, except Leomon was dead. He had no respect for the dead. Death was the ultimate failure, and failure was one thing the Warlock Lord would not- _could not tolerate. "Orders, my lord?" Dark Tyrannomon rumbled. The man cloaked all in black thought for a moment. "Destroy Primary Village. Completely," the Warlock Lord said, cutting off Dark Tyrannomon's cry of protest. "But, master-" "No one must escape!" the cloaked stranger said sharply. "Execute your orders, Dark Tyrannomon." "As you wish, my lord." Dark Tyrannomon rumbled softly. "New orders!" he roared to the surrounding Tankmon and Meramon. "Destroy Primary Village!" As one, the army of the Dark Lord turned and marched toward Primary Village._

            A small army of Koromon, Yokomon, and Tsunomon crowded the streets of Primary Village, ready to defend their homes to the last. Dark Tyrannomon made his way toward the village. It would not be hard. True, there were hundreds of them, but most were not even Rookies. Dark Tyrannomon reached the outskirts of the village. It was time to start the attack. "_Fire Blast!" he bellowed. The defenders rushed forward. It would be a slaughter. Already he could see scattered digivolutions in reaction to the crisis, but it would not be nearly enough to stop the advancing army of the Dark Lord…_

"Koromon digivolve to… Agumon!"

"Bukamon digivolve to… Gatsumon!"

            "Come on, guys!" the newly digivolved Agumon shouted. "We've got to defend Primary Village!" But already in his heart, even he knew it was hopeless.             "Everyone, concentrate on the nearest Tankmon!" Gatsumon yelled. "_Pepper Breath!" "__Rock Crusher!" "__Blue Blaster!" The attacks winged their way toward the nearest Tankmon. The combined blast slewed its turret around, stopping it in its tracks. "Again!" Agumon shouted. Once more hundreds of pinprick attacks were mounted on Tankmon. Alone, they were ineffective, yet, combined, the attacks were enough to destroy Tankmon. Another resounding explosion ripped through the air. "Wow," Gatsumon exclaimed, "When those guys decide to go out, they go out with a bang!" _

            The Warlock Lord shook his head to clear out the ringing in his ears from the explosion. The tiny Digimon were more effective than he would have thought. He shook his head in amazement. "Digimon!" he bellowed. "Attack!!!" "_Fire Blast!" "__Hyper Cannon!" "__Fire Punch!" "__Mega Claw!" The army of the Dark Lord was ruthless. In a matter of minutes, they had reduced the ragtag force of Rookies to a smoldering pile of ashes, and soon all that was left of Primary Village was a smoking ruin. The Dark Lord laughed coldly…_

            Leomon groaned and opened one of his eyes. It hurt just to move… Even though it felt as though every bone in his body was broken, Leomon exerted a superhuman effort and pushed himself upright. He groaned in agony. Dark Tyrannomon's attack had nearly killed him. _I've got to find the Digi-Destined, Leomon thought to himself. __Otherwise, the Digital World doesn't stand a chance… Moaning in excruciating pain, Leomon took a last look at what was left of Primary Village. The sight seemed to stiffen his resolve, and Leomon staggered off alone into the darkness._

            "There it is!" Tai shouted, gesturing toward the bright orange glow that had served as their beacon on the journey to Primary Village. "Just over that next ridge! I think we should-" Tai stopped short as he crested the ridge, and looked down on Primary Village- or what was left of it. "Oh, no…" Tai breathed. Sora came up beside him and gasped audibly. "Hey, Tai, what's wrong?" Mimi asked, trailing a bit behind the others. Seeing the smoldering remains of Primary Village, she let out a small scream, and collapsed into the arms of a very surprised, but very pleased Joe. Pleased, that is, until Joe also got a look at what was left of the village. "It's awful…" said T.K. "All those poor baby Digimon, murdered…" Kari breathed in shock. "We were too late to save the village, after all." Tai said sadly. The group was silent for a long moment, staring at the scarred, blackened remains of the once beautiful village. The silence was broken by the sound of a heavy body crashing through the bushes at the edge of the clearing. "Leomon!" Mimi gasped. "Primary village… is finished." Leomon gasped. "The Dark Lord…. killed everyone." With a groan of excruciating pain, Leomon collapsed onto the soft, earthen floor of the small, moonlit clearing in the forest. 

            As Mimi, Joe and the others rushed to assist him, Izzy sat frowning over the screen of his portable computer. "Izzy," Tentomon said irritably, "Now is not the time to be playing computer games." "Poor Leomon!" Mimi cried. "Guys, we've got worse problems than that." Izzy said, looking up from his laptop with worried eyes. "Remember that power drain I told you about earlier? It's gotten worse. A lot worse." "But-  But that means…" Joe stuttered. "That we can't open the Digital Portal to go home." Izzy finished for him. 

            "How did this happen?" Tai demanded. "Someone lured us here." Izzy said. "The message from Gennai, the attack on Primary Village… it's all been a trap." As if to punctuate his words, explosions rang out from another part of the forest. "_That's where we would have been right now, if I hadn't changed the coordinates of the Digital Portal." Izzy said. "But- but how…" stuttered Joe. "The e-mail that someone sent us must have had some kind of virus attached." Izzy said. "I'll do what I can about it- but it's going to be a long time before we're able to return home."_

             "Guys," Tai said, regaining his composure, "It looks like we have a long battle ahead of us. I think we should make camp here for the night." "I'll take first watch," said Izzy. "Good." said Tai. "The rest of us had better get some sleep." 

            As the rest of the Digi-Destined spread out around the clearing, and Izzy continued his work on the computer, Tai looked up at the cold, starry night sky. _Whoever this "Dark Lord" is, he thought, clenching his crest in the palm of his fist, __he's going to pay._


	2. His Master's Voice: a prologue

The Digital Portal blazed blue against the strange, off-color sky of a place that was definitely not earth- or the Digital Wor

**A Prologue To**

**The Crest Of Courage**

**His Master's Voice**

The Digital Portal blazed blue against the strange, off-color sky of a place that was definitely not earth- or the Digital World, for that matter. A black-garbed figure with wild hair stepped out of the portal, as it closed with startling suddenness behind him. _Where am I? _he wondered. The towering waves of a strange, yet strangely familiar ocean pounded against the shore. Far, far in the distance, a lighthouse sent a beam of light sweeping across the water. If it could really be called that. _What kind of lighthouse shines dark light?_ the stranger wondered. Then a cave set into the cliff behind him caught his eye. _Oh, no_, he thought. _I recognize this place- I've been here before! The Dark Ocean_. 

Suddenly, the beam of nonlight coming from the lighthouse grew in intensity. Sweeping, pulsing wildly as if in anticipation, the beam settled, unmoving on a single spot in the water. Slowly, the waves calmed and the Dark Ocean became still. The stranger shivered within his robes. He knew something terrible was about to happen. No good could come from a place so steeped in darkness, so pervasively _evil_, as this ocean. _Why am I here? _the stranger thought. _The program was set to trigger the Portal in the Digital World- not here! Oh, God, of all places not here… _An enormous, scaly dorsal ridge began to emerge above the water's oily surface. Slowly, slowly, the gargantuan bulk of something that seemed truly too massive to comprehend followed. The stranger's eyes widened in fear. 

"_The Master, the Master_!" whispered the voices of countless small, cowering creatures that lay huddled within the cave. Shivering, the stranger turned about, thinking that the cave might indeed be a good place to hide- but turned quickly back around when he saw hundreds of glowing red eyes staring back at him. _I'd rather face whatever that _thing _is than try to hide in there! _the stranger thought. The beast in front of the black-garbed stranger seemed to swell before him. The stranger's eyes widened in mounting horror as it stood fully revealed, a terrible creature with a rocky, iron hard carapace to which barnacles and seaweed clung. It stood upright on its two hind legs, and its forearms ended in pincers the size of the stranger's entire body. The serrated ridge on its back looked razor-sharp, as did the foot-long blades that lined each of its monstrous limbs. "_The Master_!" the voices within the cave rose to eerie climax, the wailing pitch of their voices unnerving the stranger even more. 

Then the monster shifted, its blood-red gaze settling on the lone figure silhouetted against the cliff face. And then the stranger began to scream. _No, not that! Anything but that! The stranger began to run. His black robes in disarray, he fled before the monstrous apparition, running alongside the cliff, desperate to escape. A violent, pulsing beam of nonlight bigger than anything the stranger had ever seen slammed into the cliff side ahead, vaporizing the cave and its occupants, and throwing the stranger to the ground. The terrified wails of the creatures trapped beneath the tons of solid rock gradually faded around the stranger as he lay on his back, dazed. _

A tiny Digimon no larger than a small dog ran to his side. "_Are you all right, Master?" The voice seemed to come from a great distance away. The stranger struggled to maintain consciousness. Slowly, the blur of the tiny Digimon's face swam into focus. "Masenkomon…" the stranger gasped out. He struggled painfully to his feet, his head seeming to explode with agony. "__Master?" Masenkomon said again. "Masenkomon-" The stranger said. "You've got to digivolve!" A skeletal hand emerged from beneath the dark, dark robes. The stranger held the Digivice in his hand. Masenkomonstood upright, waiting for the Digivice to flare to life, for the changes to begin- but nothing happened. The stranger stared in horror at the Dark Digivice- how could it have just stopped working? Without Masenkomon digivolving, the stranger knew he didn't stand a chance… The monster began to advance, a rhythmic, deep rumbling seeming to come from somewhere deep within it. __It's laughing at me, the stranger realized. __At how truly helpless I've become. _

"**Sam Ichijouji**," it rumbled. "**Even the power of your Dark Digivice can't help you here.** **You're pathetic- powerless!**"Sam was desperate. He thrust a bony white hand from within the confines of his black robes, and sent a tiny, glittering object spinning toward the terror that grew ever closer. The beast swatted the Dark Ring aside effortlessly. Its terrible, ominous laughter filled the air around Sam. His arms fell to his sides in despair. "**Did you actually think you could conquer the world?**" the creature roared. "**You have meddled with the powers of darkness- and now you shall pay the ultimate price!**" Sam shivered in terror. 

Suddenly, without warning, Masenkomon leapt in front of Sam. His arms spread wide, he attacked the titanic monster that was bearing down on him. "_DISTORTION WAVE!" he bellowed. The beam of energy struck home- and the monster laughed. Masenkomon's strongest attack had had no effect! Horrified, Sam thrust out the Crest of Shadows as if it were a talisman that could save him from terrible creature that now stood less than fifty feet away. "No! You can't do this!" Sam shouted. "**Nega Blast!**" the beast bellowed. The force of the deadly beam threw Masenkomon back against the cliff wall, where he lay, motionless. The beast pointed a single finger straight at Sam, and the dark energy began to gather around its pointed tip. "**Prepare to die, Sam Ichijouji!**" the monster roared. "I am the Digimon Emperor!" Sam shouted, in a final moment of defiance. "**You were the Digimon Emperor**." And the nightmare beast fired the terrible dark energy straight at Sam. As the deadly beam of nonlight streaked toward him, Sam screamed. In a final act of desperation, he turned and began to run- but it was far too late. As the titanic blast struck home, Sam thought fleetingly of Masenkomon. _He didn't deserve this_, Sam thought. _It was all my fault_. And then Sam Ichijouji knew no more. _

Masenkomon awoke to a universe of pain. It was amazing he was still alive. The Dark Ocean had somehow disappeared, and he was back in the Digital World. Even through the haze of agony, Masenkomon reflexively checked to make sure Sam was all right- but then, of course he wasn't. "Master?" Masenkomon croaked- but the body of Sam Ichijouji was nowhere to be found. Only the black robes he had worn as the Digimon Emperor remained. 

Masenkomon remained in the same place for weeks, his body gradually recovering form the terrible blast that should have ended his life. And through it all, he was terribly lonely- more lonely than he had ever been before in his short life. In the depths of Sam's dark robes, he discovered two tiny objects- the Dark Digivice and the Crest of Shadows. Over a period of several months, he learned to use them without Sam's help. And in the midst of his unchecked usage of the power of evil contained within these two objects, he discovered a special ability- unlike other Digimon, he had the power to alter his appearance. Not subtly, over time, as the Mutamon could change their exoskeletons- but in an instant, as normally only a digivice could induce. Masenkomon reveled in his newfound power, a power that could allow him to become anything he desired at a moment's notice, be it the smallest insect or the largest of Digimon the world had ever seen. 

Eventually, Masenkomon realized that Sam wasn't coming back- and he vowed revenge. After all, who was Sam to abandon him- and more importantly, what was that _thing _he suspected had taken Sam from him? With the answers to these questions now the sole purpose of Masenkomon's being, he began a journey that would perhaps never end. He vowed to find Sam, to find the hideous beast that had attacked them, no matter what it took. Even if he had to conquer the entire Digital World to do it.


	3. Part 2: WarGreymon's Sacrifice

The Crest of Courage

Part II: WarGreymon's Sacrifice 

            It was Sora's turn at watch early in the morning, as the bright red rim of the sun began to slowly crest the horizon. She stifled a yawn. She'd been awake for hours, after sleeping briefly and lightly the night before. Kari's shift had been after hers, but Kari had looked like she really needed the rest. _Not that I don't, Sora reminded herself. But after what had happened to Primary Village, what, after all, was a little fatigue… She shook herself with a start. She'd almost fallen asleep again. She squinted at the remains of Primary Village in the dimness of the morning light. __Boy, I really must __be tired, she thought to herself. __It almost looks as if… _

            Sora's heart began to race in alarm. The blackened, barren bowl of the valley below was entirely empty! Where were all the Meramon, the Tankmon of the night before? _I'll wake Tai, Sora thought, __he'll know what to do. Sora bent over Tai's warm, sleeping body. __He looks so innocent when he's sleeping, Sora thought wistfully. She admired Tai, in a way- his never-ending courage in battle, his leadership, his ability to keep the other Digi-Destined working together as a team… __Someday, when __all this is over, maybe then I'll finally tell him how I feel, Sora thought to herself, __but not until then. For now, the mission came first….._

            She laid her hand on Tai's warm, slowly moving shoulder and shook him gently. Tai snapped instantly awake. "Sora?" Tai asked sleepily, "What's wrong?"  "Tai," she said, pointing to the valley below, "look." Tai squinted for a moment, forcing his tired eyes to focus. "They're all gone," he breathed. He turned to look at Sora. "We'd better wake up the others," he said. "Hey, Biyomon," Sora said on her way to wake up a snoring Joe, "Maybe you'd better go up for a look around." "Right!" Biyomon acknowledged, as she took to the air. 

            By the time Biyomon returned, the rest of the Digi-Destined were up having breakfast, except Izzy, who was hard at work on his computer. "I've managed to eliminate the virus, but it's still going to be a long time before my laptop has enough power to create another Digital Portal." Izzy said. "What did you find up there, Biyomon?" Sora asked, ignoring Izzy completely. "Not much," Biyomon answered. "It's like they all just… disappeared." "Guys!" Izzy said urgently, "I just got the short-range radar back online." "And?" Tai asked, pausing to down a bite of food. "They've found us," Izzy said grimly. "At least a dozen Tankmon closing in on us from the right, and one BIG unidentified Digimon coming from behind. We'd better get out of here!" 

            The next few minutes were spent in frantic activity as the Digi-Destined finished their meals and packed up camp. Then they started out quickly in the general direction of the ocean, that being the only way they COULD go, without running into a swarm of enemy Digimon. "_Fire Blast!" came an angry bellow from the rear, as a huge ball of flame set the forest ablaze to Joe's left. He shrank involuntarily from the sudden heat. The Digi-Destined started into a run. "It's Dark Tyrannomon," growled Leomon as he ran beside Mimi, "He was at Primary Village last night." "We should be able to avoid him as long as we stay in the forest." Tai panted as another huge blast of flame shot into the forest to his left. He stopped short as the forest abruptly came to an end. "Come on, Tai!" Matt shouted. "We've got to keep moving!" As the sounds of pursuit grew closer, Tai and the others broke into an open run across the plain that stretched before them. "__Fire Blast!" The grasslands to Joe's right exploded into flame. "That was a little too close for comfort!" Joe exclaimed, as a wave of searing heat passed over the Digi-Destined. "We should digivolve!" Tentomon shouted. Immediately, white light flared up around four of the fleeing Digimon. _

"Tentomon digivolve to... Kabuterimon!"

"Palmon digivolve to… Togemon!"

"Gomamon digivolve to… Ikkakumon!"

"Biyomon digivolve to… Birdramon!"

            Even as the Digi-Destined continued to flee toward the ocean, Dark Tyrannomon thundered relentlessly in pursuit. "_Fire Blast!" Dark Tyrannomon rumbled, as it sent another enormous ball of flame hurtling toward the Digi-Destined. "__Electro-Shocker!" "__Harpoon Torpedo!" "__Meteor Wing!" "__Needle Spray!" The combined force of the blows dissolved Dark Tyrannomon's attack. Atop Dark Tyrannomon, the Warlock Lord looked on in surprise at this new threat. Meanwhile, the line of Tankmon pivoted from the west to seal off the path of the Digi-Destined to the ocean. "__Hyper Cannon!" came a dozen bellows from ahead. The shock wave from the blast threw Sora to the ground. Dark Tyrannomon looked down at the inert form that lay in his path. A ball of flame began to gather at its mouth. "Tai!" Sora screamed in desperation. Brilliant white light flared up from the crest at Tai's neck. Responding to the incredible surge of energy from the crest, Agumon began to glow._

"Agumon warp-digivolve to… WarGreymon!" 

            "_Fire Blast!" Dark Tyrannomon roared. WarGreymon launched himself directly into the attack in a desperate attempt to shield Sora from the blast. The enormous ball of flame ricocheted off WarGreymon's heavy armor and flew back over the head of the astonished Warlock Lord. Meanwhile, the line of Tankmon rumbled ever closer. _

            "Tai," Leomon said urgently, "I'll take care of Dark Tyrannomon. Those Tankmon will be here any minute. You and everyone else had better get going." "But Leomon-" Tai started to say. Leomon held up his hand. "Go, Tai," he said, "There's nothing more you can do here." Tai made his decision. Clasping Leomon's palm firmly in his own, he ran back to join the other Digi-Destined. "Good luck, Leomon!" Tai called, as the Digi-Destined resumed their flight toward the ocean. 

            But the battle was not over yet. There was still the line of Tankmon between the Digi-Destined and the sea. WarGreymon hovered over the battlefield, his eyes sweeping from left to right as the enemy Tankmon rumbled ever closer. Seeing this new target hovering above them, the Tankmon raised their turrets. Pulsating energy balls of harsh white light began to gather at the tips of the protruding cannons as the Tankmon prepared to shoot WarGreymon out of the sky. They never got the chance. "_Terra Force!" WarGreymon roared. A titanic beam of pure destructive energy was unleashed at the ground, and the line of Tankmon simply disappeared. "Look!" Tai yelled suddenly, "The ocean!" _

            "I should digivolve if I'm going to carry all of you." Ikkakumon said. "Go for it, Ikkakumon!" Joe said. This time the changes began fairly subtly. As the freshwater waves of the great inland sea of the Digital World swirled around Ikkakumon, he seemed to take on something of its phosphorescence. Sea-green, rapidly swirling eddies of water surged up around him. The surge gradually increased until Ikkakumon was standing behind a veritable wall of seawater. Then the subtlety ended. Four thick, enormous, protruding limbs extended from a gigantic, shell-covered torso. A bolt of lightning struck from the sky with a thundering crash, making Mimi gasp with its suddenness. A swirling ball of coherent energy formed the mighty Vulcan's Hammer, and the transformed Ikkakumon caught it with ease.

"Ikkakumon digivolve to… Zudomon!"

            With a final crash of thunder, the transformation was complete. The eight      Digi-Destined climbed onto Zudomon's mammoth back gratefully, and Zudomon started out across the great inland ocean of the Digital World. Kari stared off into the brilliant, red-orange sunset thoughtfully. She'd never noticed the way the sun of the Digital World cast such queer shadows on the surface of the water. They looked almost like… _Digimon… in a moment of panic, Kari glanced quickly to the sky. A swarm of dark, menacing shapes hovered over Zudomon. "Zudomon, look out!" Kari shouted. Zudomon swerved to the right just in time to avoid an intense barrage of energy beams from the attacking Digimon. "What are __those?" Sora breathed. "It looks like the Warlock Lord has sent his air force after us," Izzy said grimly. "Three MegaDramon, one GigaDramon, and all those smaller shapes must be Airdramon…" he trailed off thoughtfully. "We need more power!" Sora called. In response, brilliant white light flared up around Birdramon and Togemon._

"Birdramon digivolve to… Garudamon!"

"Togemon digivolve to… Lillymon!"

            "Concentrate on the GigaDramon!" Izzy said. "That will keep the others occupied." _We need WarGreymon, Izzy thought. __Where is WarGreymon? _

            "_Flower Cannon!" "__Wing Blade!" "__Electro-Shocker!" The attacks hit GigaDramon with devastating force… and did absolutely nothing. Other than get his attention, that is. GigaDramon turned on the attackers with fiery eyes. "__Giga Cannon!" he roared in fury. Deadly red beams of energy sprayed the air around Garudamon, Kabuterimon, and Lillymon, as they sought frantically to avoid them._

            WarGreymon flew through the air, at the end of his scouting run. _They should be right about here, WarGreymon thought. __Unless… A violent explosion in the distance seemed to confirm his suspicions. Heeling over sharply to the right, WarGreymon flew toward the developing battle, hoping he wasn't too late. Meanwhile, the three other Digimon continued their deadly dance with GigaDramon. Powerful red beams lanced through the air around them with devastating force. Kabuterimon was getting exhausted from the long battle. __Where is WarGreymon? he thought, as he sought frantically to dodge a new attack from GigaDramon. "__Electro-Shocker!" he shouted. Once again, the attack did absolutely nothing. __I sure hope he gets here soon, Kabuterimon thought grimly._

            _There they are! WarGreymon thought as he approached the scene of the battle. He thought he recognized one of the Digimon. __Could it be? he wondered. He had a flash memory of GigaDramon, destroying an entire city on Spiral Mountain just to get to the Digi- Destined. His throat tightened. "__Terra Force!" he roared. The attack tore a gaping hole in the ranks of the flying Digimon. GigaDramon wheeled about in surprise at the new threat. "So, Greymon," it hissed, "You've finally managed to become fully digivolved." WarGreymon said nothing as the lethal destructive energy began to build at his fingertips. "Talons of the Emperor," GigaDramon hissed in fury, "Attack!" The entire force of Airdramon and MegaDramon wheeled to follow GigaDramon as he dove toward WarGreymon. __"Terra Force!" WarGreymon roared. GigaDramon dodged nimbly aside as the attack caught a MegaDramon full force and sent it tumbling toward the sea. "__Flower Cannon!" "__Electro-Shocker!" came the shouts from behind. Again, the attacks had absolutely no effect on the enemy Digimon. "Go!" WarGreymon shouted. "There's nothing more you can do here!" Realizing that WarGreymon was right, the other Digimon had no choice but to start once more westward across the ocean. "__Mega Claw!" WarGreymon shouted as he swung his mighty claws toward GigaDramon, who countered with deadly red beams of energy._

            Meanwhile, Leomon had his own battle to fight. He saw the ominous, dark figure sitting atop Dark Tyrannomon. His hands clenched in fists of rage. "_Fist of the Beast King!" he roared. The attack caused Dark Tyrannomon to stagger back. Shaking off the effects of the blow, Dark Tyrannomon started forward with his own attack. "__Fire Blast!" Leomon leapt nimbly aside and drew his sword. "__Iron Tail!" Dark Tyrannomon bellowed, the enormous, dark tail hammering Leomon from his feet and sending him flying some twenty yards away. _

            Leomon picked himself up painfully. Roaring a battle cry, he charged at Dark Tyrannomon, swinging his curved saber in a smooth arc toward the dark, scaly skin. Dark Tyrannomon fell back from the sudden onslaught. "_Fist of the Beast King! Leomon roared. "__Fire Blast!" Dark Tyrannomon answered back. The enormous burst of flame blasted its way straight through Leomon's attack, and sent him flying back once again. Leomon could barely bring himself to stand this time. Dark Tyrannomon's attacks had weakened him to the point where he no longer even had the energy to run. He leveled his sword. The Warlock Lord would pay for his entertainment. "Finish him, Dark Tyrannomon." The Dark Lord said grimly. "__Fire Blast!" Dark Tyrannomon bellowed. Leomon raised his sword. _

            WarGreymon flew desperately toward the mainland. His attacks had left GigaDramon considerably weakened, but in the end the swarms of other, smaller attackers had closed in on him and forced him to retreat. "_Giga Cannon!" "__Spinning Needle!" The attacks hammered at WarGreymon's weakening armor. A spray of needles punched their way into WarGreymon's arm. He headed toward a small, narrow canyon near the edge of the ocean. __Maybe I can lose them in there, he thought._

            Dark Tyrannomon's attack sped toward Leomon. Leomon stood grimly with raised sword, unwilling even at this final moment to back down. Suddenly, a brilliant white light began to emanate from Leomon. The glow spread until it covered the whole of his body.

"Leomon digivolve to… SaberLeomon!"

            The newly transformed Leomon dodged Dark Tyrannomon's attack with ease. "_Howling Crusher!" SaberLeomon roared in fury. Powerful winds of hurricane force built up behind Leomon from out of nowhere. Razor-sharp quills appeared to rain off of SaberLeomon's skin as the attack sped toward Dark Tyrannomon with frightening accuracy. The gigantic Digimon stumbled backward in pain and anger. "__Iron Tail!" he roared. Again, SaberLeomon dodged the attack easily. "__Twin Fang!" SaberLeomon called as he leapt onto Dark Tyrannomon's back, sinking his deadly sharp fangs into the dark beast's neck. __I'm going to finish this, now, once and for all, SaberLeomon thought to himself. _

            Then powerful, burning hands pulled him off of Dark Tyrannomon's back and threw him to the ground. Meramon. There were hundreds of them, or so it seemed to the embattled SaberLeomon. He was completely surrounded. "_Fire Punch!" the Meramon called as one. The doomed SaberLeomon dodged one attack, only to be hit immediately by half a hundred more. The blast lifted SaberLeomon into the air. He fell to the ground with a groan of pain, some fifty feet away. He started to get up, but the Meramon were relentless. Dozens of them piled onto the weakened SaberLeomon and pinned him to the ground. Dark Tyrannomon rumbled closer. __They don't care how many they have to sacrifice, SaberLeomon thought, __as long as they can bring me down. "__Fire Blast!" Dark Tyrannomon roared. Blast after blast of burning flame hit the weakened SaberLeomon, until all that remained of the once valiant Digimon was a pile of burned, smoldering ashes._

            Meanwhile, WarGreymon was fighting a desperate battle of his own. As another blast from GigaDramon missed narrowly, WarGreymon ducked into the small canyon near the shore. _If only someone was here to help, WarGreymon thought desperately. As if in answer, a brilliant blue light flared up- far, far away._

"Veemon armor-digivolve to… Flamedramon!"

            WarGreymon thundered through the canyon at supersonic speeds, his pursuers not far behind. _If only I can hold out just a little bit longer… WarGreymon thought._

            The sonic booms of WarGreymon's passage hit Davis and Flamedramon as they stood at the edge of a forest miles away from the battle. Mistaking the sound for an explosion, Davis pointed toward the small canyon. "One of our friends may be in trouble, Flamedramon," Davis said. "Hop on, Davis," Flamedramon replied in his deep, powerful voice. Astride Flamedramon, Davis sped off toward the battle.

            WarGreymon flew through the narrow canyon at breakneck speed, a whirlwind of small rocks and debris stirred up by his passage. _That's it! WarGreymon thought. __I can collapse the canyon wall on them! WarGreymon slowed as he came to a turn in the canyon. "__Terra Force!" he roared. An enormous beam of energy shot into the canyon wall. WarGreymon pulled out of his dive, just in time as the walls of the narrow canyon collapsed. His pursuers were not so lucky. WarGreymon slowed as he cleared the rim of the canyon. He turned to continue back toward Zudomon and the others. He did not see GigaDramon and half a dozen Airdramon escape the canyon's collapse to follow. "__Giga Cannon!" came a shout from behind. Lethal red beams of intense energy lanced into WarGreymon. He fell from the sky onto the canyon floor below._

            "Faster, Flamedramon!" Davis urged. "We're almost there!" "I just hope we're in time," Flamedramon replied grimly.

            "_Giga Cannon!" Blast after blast hammered into WarGreymon, leaving him unable even to clear the canyon floor. His energy gone, he began to glow, to digivolve back into Agumon. __No, thought WarGreymon. __I must not stop, I cannot lose! The glowing stopped, and through sheer determination, WarGreymon had stopped himself from de-digivolving back into Agumon. __But what can I do now? WarGreymon thought. __What energy I have left is surely not enough to defeat such a powerful enemy… Suddenly, it came to him. "__Mega Claw!" WarGreymon roared. GigaDramon dodged quickly, but the attack had not been aimed at him. The canyon wall collapsed again, tons of granite rock burying the attackers. __Goodbye, Tai, WarGreymon thought. And then the tons of soil and rock came crashing down, and WarGreymon knew no more._

            Flamedramon slowed his flight above the rim of the collapsing canyon. "We were too late, after all," Davis said grimly. As the dust from WarGreymon's final blast dissipated, it was clear there were no survivors.

            As the other Digi-Destined waited anxiously on Zudomon's back, a black speck appeared on the horizon. "Is that WarGreymon?" Kari asked. The speck grew closer. "No," T.K. said, squinting, it's Davis! And Flamedramon!" The grim look on Davis's face was soon apparent. "What's wrong, Davis?" Joe asked. "I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you, Tai," Davis said. Even before he said it, Tai knew. He buried his face in his hands. "Agumon!" Tai cried bitterly.

            Atop Dark Tyrannomon, the Warlock Lord scowled furiously. His plans had been spoiled again! It constantly amazed him the lengths they were willing to go to to protect their friends. Leomon's attack had slowed him down just enough to allow the            Digi-Destined to escape. _Oh, well, the Dark Lord thought. __I still have one more resource at my disposal. Unhooking a device from the wall, he spoke into it rapidly. "MetalSeadramon!" the Warlock Lord shouted. A low, menacing voice came from the other end of the line. "The Digi-Destined are in your area. Destroy them!" "Yes, Master," came the low, chilling voice of MetalSeadramon._

            "We should head for Gennai's house." Izzy said atop Zudomon, as they continued the journey westward across the vast inland sea. "Yeah," Matt said, "Maybe he'll have some answers about this 'Dark Lord', and all the attacks we've been experiencing."

            Kari suddenly began to whimper with fright. "Kari? What's wrong?" T.K. asked, as he put a reassuring arm around her slim shoulders. "T.K.- look!" Kari exclaimed, pointing down into the murky depths of the freshwater sea. T.K. squinted hard into the swirling, iridescent water. He couldn't make out anything… Wait, what was that?! A long, dark shadow quickly made its way toward the surface. "Zudomon," T.K. said anxiously, "We'd better get moving, now!" "What's the rush, T.K.?" Joe asked. Losing all pretense of control, T.K. screamed, "Zudomon! Get out of here NOW!!!" Hearing the urgency in T.K.'s voice, Zudomon immediately sped up and headed northward- but it was too late. The long, sinister shadow breached the surface. An enormous, bulky, serpentine shape reared up out of the water and roared its anger at the Digi-Destined. "It's MetalSeadramon!" Mimi shouted. "Time to step things up!" Joe said.

"Kabuterimon digivolve to… MegaKabuterimon!"

"Patamon digivolve to… Angemon!"

"Gatomon digivolve to… Angewomon!"

            "_Hand of Fate!" Angemon shouted. MetalSeadramon twisted aside effortlessly to dodge the blow. "__River of Power!" he roared. Even golden Angemon was hit by the blast, and fell weakened back onto Zudomon. "__Fire Rocket!" "__Flower Cannon!" "__Wing Blade!" "__Horn Blaster!" "__Celestial Arrow!" MetalSeadramon roared in pain at the force of the attack. "__River of Power!" he roared once again. This time the attack connected with devastating force. Lillymon and Garudamon were hit full on by the intense beam of energy so hard that they digivolved back into their Rookie forms, exhausted. "__Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon called out. MetalSeadramon dove underwater, and the attack passed harmlessly overhead._

            "Look out!" Joe called. "He's coming from below!" "_Vulcan's Hammer!" For the first time that day, Zudomon joined the battle. The shocking effect of the powerful blow sent MetalSeadramon rearing to the surface, stunned. "__Heaven's Charm!" A strange green cloud hovered over the battleground, the result of Angewomon's attack. Recognizing its purpose, Sora called to the Digimon, "Give your power to Angewomon!" "__Blue Blaster!" "__Horn Blaster!" "__Hand of Fate!" "__Vulcan's Hammer!" The attacks combined under Angewomon's power. "__Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon cried, the blow striking with the full force of all five attacks. MetalSeadramon roared in agony… and, incredibly, continued on the attack. "He's too strong!" yelled T.K. "__River of Power!" MetalSeadramon roared. This time, both Angemon and Angewomon were hit by the blast, and both fell back onto Zudomon, digivolving back into their Rookie forms.     "That's enough!" Matt shouted in fury. Brilliant white light flared up from the crest at Matt's neck. Responding to the incredible surge of energy from the crest, Gabumon began to glow. "I feel the power, Matt!" Gabumon cried. "I can digivolve!" The glow grew to encompass the whole of Gabumon's body, and he began to grow, to change…_

"Gabumon warp-digivolve to… MetalGarurumon!"

            The newly digivolved Mega charged MetalSeadramon, and the two collided with stunning force, making Mimi gasp with the impact. "_River of Power!" MetalSeadramon roared. MetalGarurumon dodged easily, and countered with an attack of his own. "__Ice Wolf Claw!" he bellowed in fury. MetalSeadramon's own bellow of rage was cut off by the blast, as his entire body was frozen solid. "Hurry, Zudomon!" Matt shouted. "He's on ice for now, but he won't be for long!" Zudomon began swimming northward toward the mainland as fast as he could, where the other Digimon would stand more of a chance.             "Joe-" he started to rumble. His words were cut off by an ear-splitting shattering noise. MetalSeadramon had broken free of the ice! With a bellow of rage, he charged straight at Zudomon and the Digi-Destined. "__Vulcan's Hammer!" "__Horn Blaster!" "__Metal Wolf Claw!" With a roar of fury, MetalSeadramon charged straight through the attacks. "__River of Power!" he roared. The attack headed straight for Zudomon. "__Fire Rocket!" Flamedramon cried. Like a brilliant meteor, Flamedramon shot straight for the surface of the water- and interposed himself between Zudomon and MetalSeadramon's attack. The blast hit Flamedramon full force, and with a cry of pain, he fell from the sky, digivolving back into DemiVeemon. _

            "_Ice Wolf Claw!" MetalGarurumon bellowed. MetalSeadramon dove underwater to avoid the attack. "__Horn Blaster!" MegaKabuterimon shouted. In a spectacular show of skill, MegaKabuterimon connected with the rapidly moving MeatSeadramon underwater, sending him up to the surface, stunned. "Let's finish him, MetalGarurumon!" Matt shouted. "__Metal Wolf Claw!" came the attack. But MetalSeadramon recovered himself enough to roll to the right and avoid the attack. "__River of Power!" He roared. This time, the attack connected with Zudomon, and the stricken Digimon shrank back into his Rookie stage. With nothing now between the Digi-Destined and MetalSeadramon, he began his attack. "No!" yelled Izzy, aboard MegaKabuterimon. "__River of Power!" "MegaKabuterimon, you've got to stop him!" Izzy shouted. Suddenly, miraculously, Izzy's Crest of Knowledge began to glow again. Renewed energy surged through MegaKabuterimon, and he began to glow with the power…_

"MegaKabuterimon digivolve to… HerculesKabuterimon!"

            Crossing his scissor-like arms together, the mammoth, newly-digivolved HerculesKabuterimon moved in front of MetalSeadramon's attack, deflecting it eastward over the ocean. "_River of Power!" MetalSeadramon roared again. "__Giga Scissor Claw!" HerculesKabuterimon returned, obliterating MetalSeadramon's attack. "__Mega Electro Shocker!" he shouted, and with a bellow of pain, MetalSeadramon fell back again, stunned by the incredible force of the attack. "Everyone! Combine your attacks!" Izzy yelled. "__Metal Wolf Claw!" "__Mega Electro Shocker!" The other, smaller Digimon added their own attacks, and the incredible blast of power that resulted was enough to finish MetalSeadramon off. With a last bellow of agony, his ruined body disappeared into the darkness of the ocean from which it had come. "At least __that's over with," said Sora, climbing aboard HerculesKabuterimon to rest alongside Izzy. As the rest of the         Digi-Destined clamored aboard, HerculesKabuterimon began the long flight to Gennai's house._

            Meanwhile, inside the command chamber of the Warlock Lord's hidden base, the Dark Lord sat hunched over a radar screen. "Interesting…" he muttered, poring over the continuous stream of data that scrolled across the screen to his right. _They're headed toward the center of the resistance movement, he thought to himself. __This man, Gennai… he's been a worthy foe. Now is the time to strike with full force, and crush the resistance, the Digi-Destined, and Gennai once and for all. He made his decision. "Devidramon!" he shouted. The winged, misshapen beast flew into the room, its wings making a dry, rustling sound as it entered. "Order the strike force in at once. All forces in sector Q-13 are to move in at dawn." "As you wish, Master," the beast whispered in a dry, tortured voice that spoke of an eternity of endless torment and agony. It flew out of the room and took to the sky, casting a dark, forbidding shadow on the ground as it flew. The Warlock Lord shuddered. He didn't like the Devidramon, yet couldn't afford to lose them, as they were the best messengers he had available. He turned back to the radar screen, planning an attack that would defeat the rebel forces once and for all._

            It was late at night, and HerculesKabuterimon flew east over the mountains, his wings a soft whisper against the night. Kari had fallen asleep early on, T.K.'s arm wrapped protectively about her small body. Kari sighed and snuggled lovingly closer to T.K. Izzy was working on his computer away from the others, and Joe, Mimi, Davis, and the Digimon were all sleeping. Sora sat up and took a look around. They were over the mountains now, and flying again over the vast plains that dominated so much of the Digital World. Then she glanced at each of the other Digi-Destined in turn. Izzy had finally fallen asleep at his laptop, and Davis was mumbling something about football in his sleep. T.K. and Kari were curled up in a loving embrace-_They look so cute together! Sora thought- and Mimi had fallen asleep with hairbrush in hand, finally giving up the losing battle to keep her hair straight in the wind. While she was observing this, Joe began to roll over and ended up with his hand on, let's say, a sensitive part of Mimi's anatomy. _

            Sora started to laugh soundlessly at this- and stopped when she saw Tai. Apart from the others, Tai sat with his arms crossed and his back to the rest of the               Digi-Destined. Alone, Tai stood, his shoulders shaking. Sora walked toward Tai, unsure of what to say. "What's wrong, Tai?" she finally asked. Tai turned, tears clouding his eyes. "It's just… I was thinking about… Agumon." He choked out, his voice thick with emotion. "Tai-" Sora started, reaching out to lay her hand on his shaking shoulder. Tai shook her off, almost angrily. "I just want to be alone right now, Sora." Tai said. "Please understand." Tai turned away again, looking toward the vast expanse of the prairie far, far below. Sora walked back toward the others and sat, feeling that somehow, despite her efforts, she had left Tai feeling even worse than he had before she had spoken to him. Her head drooping, she began to doze off. 

            She awoke with a start as an alarm on Izzy's laptop began to beep frantically. "What is it, Izzy?" Sora asked cautiously. The rest of the Digi-Destined began to stir also. "It's a proximity alarm." Izzy stated simply. "I set it to go off when we got near Gennai's house. And… here we are!" Joe looked puzzled as HerculesKabuterimon banked sharply, descending toward a small farmhouse that sat alone in the middle of the prairie. "But this isn't Gennai's house." Joe said hesitantly as HerculesKabuterimon came in for a landing, his enormous wings raising clouds of dust as he fought to keep his balance against the growing wind. "Gennai lives at the bottom of a lake- remember?" "Well," Izzy said, scratching his head, "This is where my laptop says he lives… so why don't we just knock on the door and find out?" "If you say so…" Joe trailed off doubtfully. 

                                      Izzy walked up and knocked boldly on the door. The door flew open and a Guardromon rolled forward, revolving machine pistols protruding out of its chest. "State your name, occupation, and favorite food." It said, in a flat, overtly mechanical tone. "Uh…" Izzy stuttered. The machine pistols began to whir even faster, obviously in preparation to fire. "My name's Izzy and my favorite food is pizza! And I'm with the Digi-Destined!" he said in a rush. "Access approved," said the Guardromon, retracting its machine pistols and rolling aside. "Well," said Izzy, wiping a droplet of sweat from his brow, "That was interesting. Shall we go in?" The rest of the Digi-Destined started toward the door, HerculesKabuterimon digivolving back into Tentomon so he could fit into the small, narrow doorway. 

            As Davis's eyes adjusted to the darkness, the first thing he saw was a man in a scarlet kimono with his back turned to the rest of the room, gazing out a window. _This must be Gennai, Davis thought. __What a strange-looking old man. As if he had heard Davis's thoughts, Gennai turned suddenly, revealing a wrinkled, almost comical face and a set of tasseled slippers. "Ah, the Digi-Destined!" he cried, his face brightening. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it." "We almost didn't," said Sora, and began to tell of their adventures. _

            "Say, I thought you lived under a lake." Joe said, interrupting. "I did," Gennai said, "but my wife prefers the farmhouse approach." A small woman who looked very much like Mimi ran shrieking hysterically through the back of the house, a couple of Gekomon close behind her. "That's my wife," said Gennai. "She's probably looking for some cheese." "Oh," said Joe, not knowing what else to say. "Anyway," said Gennai, "The reason I called you all here is that the Digital World is under attack by the Warlock Lord. I won't bother with too many specifics since you've apparently already had several run-ins with him." "Tell me about it," said Izzy ruefully, rubbing his head where it had hit the ground the day before. "The Warlock Lord arrived shortly after your defeat of the Dark Masters and Apocalymon," Gennai said, ignoring Izzy completely. "No one knows who he is or where he came from, but he enslaved an army of Digimon shortly after his arrival and began taking over. Primary Village was one of our last strongholds against him." He sighed heavily. "And now he has that, too. I've banded together a small army of resistance fighters. They do the best they can, but there aren't nearly enough of them to defeat the power of the Warlock Lord." 

            Finishing his cup of coffee, Gennai rose and headed for the stairs. Joe's eyebrows went up. He hadn't noticed an upstairs before. _Wow, he thought. __This farmhouse is a lot larger than I thought. "I think you've done enough for tonight, at any rate." Gennai said, turning. "You look worn out. Why don't you get some rest, and we'll talk some more in the morning." Gennai gestured to a door beside a tapestry hanging on the wall. Joe was positive there had been no tapestry and no door there before. __This place sure is weird, he thought, collapsing onto a pallet that had been set into the corner of the room. He immediately began to snore. The rest of the Digi-Destined did likewise, falling onto the soft, warm beds with sighs of relief and contentment. _

            Everyone, that is, except Tai. Tai stood, staring through the room's one window at the magnificent full moon that shone without. His thoughts turned to Agumon. _He was such a true friend, Tai thought to himself. __The only real friend I've ever had. Tai thought for a long while. __I can't go on living without Agumon, he thought. __There's only one thing left for me to do now. Tai waited until the rest of the Digi-Destined were asleep, then turned to slip out the old oaken door he had entered by- only to find that there was no door. __What a weird place, Tai thought to himself. __Just as well. Tai turned and walked softly past the sleeping Digi-Destined to the window. Lifting the latch, he raised the window up. Seeing Sora shiver in her sleep at the sudden draft, Tai pulled the blankets up gently under her chin… and slipped out the open window. He was unaware of the small, sharp eyes of DemiVeemon watching him as he walked off into the darkness._

            Sora was awakened quickly by DemiVeemon's violent shaking. _Wow, he sure does have a lot of muscle for such a little guy! Sora thought foggily. "What is it, DemiVeemon?" she asked, her pulse just beginning to return to normal after the shock of being awakened so abruptly. It sped up again when DemiVeemon began to tell her about Tai. "And ten minutes ago, he just… slipped out the window." DemiVeemon finished. "Well, then we'd better go follow him," Sora said resolutely. "Turn away for a sec while I get dressed, would you?" His face reddening slightly, DemiVeemon obeyed.   Meanwhile, across the room, Joe stirred in his sleep. He opened first one eye, then the other. __I wonder if it's time to get up yet? he thought. His eyes widened suddenly at what he saw across the room. __Wow, he thought, __Sora! Is this for real? He watched, fascinated, as Sora pulled on her underclothing, including a pair of tiny, pink lace panties. He stared in silent admiration. __Nah, he decided, __must be a dream. Sora pulled on her jeans, and then her shirt, ending with her customary sky-blue hat. __I wish! thought Joe. Chuckling softly to himself at his thoughts, Joe rolled over and went back to sleep._

            "What was that?" Sora whispered, glancing toward the corner where Joe was sleeping. "Oh, that was just Joe," said DemiVeemon calmly. "He was watching you dress." DemiVeemon watched, amused, as Sora's face turned bright red in shock. Grabbing the nearest heavy object, in this case, Izzy's portable computer, Sora walked swiftly over to Joe's bed and hit him hard over the head with it. "Wuzzat?" Joe mumbled fuzzily, as the sharp pain brought him into wakefulness. "Urrrrrgh," Joe said, as a second blow from the computer knocked him unconscious. "There," Sora said, returning Izzy's laptop to his bedside, "That's much better." DemiVeemon watched in silent amazement as Sora slipped out the open window, presumably to follow Tai. _That, he thought to himself in sudden admiration, __is one fine woman. As Sora ran off into the darkness, DemiVeemon followed._

            Tai walked slowly up the dusty, winding trail that led to the cliffs he had discovered during his last visit to Gennai's house. The little cove surrounded by high walls of eons-old mountain rock was secluded in a sort of harbor made by the cliffs. Tai knew of no other place near Gennai's house where the sea reached…. but then, the Digital World was like that sometimes. He squeezed through a narrow, all but invisible cleft in the rock. The cleft got tighter and yet tighter for a good ten minutes, until Tai thought he might not be able to fit through anymore. Then, suddenly, the cleft widened out, and Tai stood before a deep, yawning, seemingly bottomless chasm. His throat tight with sudden apprehension, Tai began to edge along the walls of the chasm.

            Meanwhile, Sora ran swiftly through the night, following Tai's tracks in the soft, dusty sand. DemiVeemon struggled to keep up, panting with the effort. Sora slowed as she came to a sudden fork in the trail. The larger, more traveled path, she knew, led toward Infinite Mountain and Primary Village. The smaller path led in the opposite direction, toward the city of the Gekomon. Sora tried to decide which way Tai had gone. The ground at this point, oddly enough, had turned into old, time-worn granite, making Tai's footprints impossible to find. _I don't think Tai would have chosen either of these paths, Sora thought to herself. On a sudden impulse, Sora turned away from both trails and forged straight ahead, through an unusually thick stand of fir trees. As she and DemiVeemon burst out the other side, Tai's tracks began again in a small patch of dirt between two enormous granite boulders. _

            "Tai's really in for it," DemiVeemon panted. "What do you mean?" Sora asked. "He's headed straight for the Cliffs of Despair," DemiVeemon answered. "A great battle was fought between good and evil in the Digital World long ago. The forces of good triumphed over those of evil, and the vanquished spirits of the dark Digimon were cast into a depthless chasm between the Twin Peaks of Mount Equus." "Which way?" Sora asked anxiously. DemiVeemon pointed in the direction of a narrow, winding trail that disappeared among the rocks. "DemiVeemon," Sora said, "Go back to the house and get Biyomon and some of the others. We might need some reinforcements." Glowing with renewed energy as he digivolved into Veemon, the tiny Digimon ran at top speed back toward the small farmhouse. Meanwhile, Sora continued resolutely ahead, bracing herself against the strong winds that blew from high above the mountain peaks.

            Tai shivered with the sudden gust of wind that buffeted him as he fought to maintain his balance on the narrow ledge above the chasm. As he edged carefully along the ever-narrowing piece of ground, his foot slipped, and suddenly he was dangling above the dark, yawning pit, with only one small handhold to keep him from falling! Tai grunted with the strain of holding himself up as strong, arctic blasts of wind buffeted him violently from side to side. As his precarious handhold began to slip, Tai extended his other arm up in a frantic bid to stop himself from falling- and, miraculously, it worked. He worked himself upward, an inch at a time, until he was once again back on the narrow ledge. He continued on cautiously until he was finally back on solid ground, and made his way toward the small, peaceful cove that was his destination.

            Sora ran ahead, squeezing quickly through the narrow cleft, and running quickly on, following Tai's tracks. She stopped when she came to the gaping, black maw of the chasm. Shivering with sudden vertigo, Sora began to work her way across the narrow ledge in search of Tai.

            Tai strode purposefully ahead. He was almost there; he could hear the roaring of the seawater as it crashed against the sheer cliff walls. _Just a little further, he thought, __and then I can end this. The roaring sound of the seawater seemed to grow in response._

            Sora made her way off of the narrow ledge and sighed with relief. _Just a bit further now, she thought to herself. __I've got to stop Tai before he does something we'll all regret._

            Tai had reached the tiny inlet between the twin peaks of Mount Equus. The roaring crescendo of the foaming seas echoed off the canyon walls all around him. A narrow precipice jutted out from the cliff's edge to hang over the raging waters. _There, Tai thought, gazing at the precipice. __That's where it all ends. I can't bear to live without Agumon. Just a few more steps, and the pain will finally end…_

            Sora ran toward the tiny harbor. _There! There was Tai! she thought to herself. But what was he doing? He looked as if he was about to- "No! Tai!" she screamed, running, desperate to reach him. But he was just too far away… With a surge of strength, Sora redoubled her efforts, and ran full tilt toward Tai, hoping she wasn't too late._

            Tai walked toward the edge of the jutting rock. _Just a few more steps, he thought, __and it will all finally be over. He thought he heard a voice, far, far away. __No matter, he thought to himself. __Just a few more steps… Tai stopped at the edge of the jutting precipice. With a final, fleeting thought of Agumon, Tai prepared to jump. Tensing his muscles for the final, fatal plunge, Tai began to launch himself into the swirling, green waters below- and stopped. __It's that voice again, he thought. __What's it saying?_

            "Tai! Stop!" Sora screamed. Ever so slowly, Tai turned from the precipice, and saw Sora running wildly toward him. "Tai! What are you doing?" Sora called desperately. "I just want the pain to stop, Sora." Tai said. "That's why I'm here. Please- for everyone's sake, leave me be." "I can't do that, Tai," Sora cried, desperately trying to be heard above the roar of the swirling green waters below. "Tai- come back with me. We need you, Tai!" "Sora, you don't understand! He was my only friend in the whole world, and now he's gone!" Tai shouted. He turned away from Sora, back toward the yawning gulf that opened ahead. "Tai! Listen to me!" Sora called, laying her small hand on Tai's shoulder. "Agumon wouldn't have wanted this! He would have wanted you to survive, to move on, to find another reason for living." Tai whirled around and pushed Sora roughly away. "Don't try to stop me!" he screamed. Turning back toward the cliff's edge, he tensed his legs, preparing to jump. "Tai!" Sora shouted. "I love you," she said, her voice softening. Tai's legs slowly uncoiled. He turned slowly away from the precipice, the roaring sound of the turbulent waters appearing somehow to diminish, to ebb.

            "What?" Tai asked, a new, different look in his eyes. "I love you, Tai." Sora said softly, her smooth, beautiful face framed by her wildly blowing hair lending weight to her words. "I've always loved you, and I always will," she said, stepping forward. "Sora-" Tai said hesitantly. He stopped short as Sora laid her hand on his shoulder, drawing him into a loving embrace. "Oh, Sora…" Tai trailed off, surrendering himself to the moment. He kissed Sora tenderly on the lips, and she responded to his touch, the moment lasting an eternity, two souls joined, for the moment, as one. 

            "Tai," Sora said, breaking away from the embrace for a moment, "Come back with me. Please." Unable to speak, Tai grasped Sora's hand and began to follow her back toward Gennai's farmhouse. Before they could even begin to think about crossing the narrow ledge back across the depthless chasm, however, a deep rumbling shook the mountain. Thousands of small rocks and icicles began to cascade off the twin peaks of Mount Equus, and Tai and Sora halted in terror as a dark, nightmarish face framed by mammoth tusks buried out of the solid rock before them. There was nowhere to go but back toward the precipice where Tai had so recently tried to end his life. Now it looked as if one or both of them might end up being forced off the jutting rock. The nightmare beast began to charge.

            "_Vee punch!" "__Spiral Twister!" "__Boom Bubble… PAH!!!" The attacks echoed from behind the beast, forcing it to turn away to counter this new attack. "It's SkullGoromon!" Veemon shouted. "We'll take care of him! Everyone, digivolve!" As Veemon, Patamon, and Biyomon came through the narrow pass behind SkullGoromon, each in turn began to glow with a brilliant, otherworldly white light._

"Veemon armor-digivolve to… Raidramon!"

"Biyomon digivolve to… Birdramon!"

"Patamon digivolve to… Angemon!"

            The three newly digivolved Digimon launched their attacks at SkullGoromon, drawing him away from Tai and Sora, who held hands, watching in silence. "_Thunder Blast!" "__Meteor Wing!" "__Hand of Fate!" The three attacks winged their way toward SkullGoromon. "__Arctic Blast!" he shouted, a freezing wind building behind him and blasting thousands of razor-sharp icicles at the three other Digimon, dissolving their attacks. Birdramon, Raidramon, and Angemon scattered, their attacks penetrating to strike SkullGoromon's thick fur separately. He shook off the attacks and charged at Tai and Sora. "__Nightmare Wave!" he roared. An incredible wave of dark energy shot straight at Tai. Sora pushed him to the ground quickly, and the blast passed harmlessly overhead. Sora's Crest of Love flared white with a new, incredibly passionate intensity, and Birdramon began to glow…_

"Birdramon digivolve to… Garudamon!"

            Garudamon hovered in the sky, her wings a brilliant incandescent shade of red. "_Wing Blade!" she cried, a blast of flame rushing out to engulf the enraged SkullGoromon. The attack barely even slowed the mammoth beast. SkullGoromon turned in fury toward Garudamon and unleashed another attack with even greater intensity. "__Nightmare Wave!" he bellowed. The blast of dark energy struck Garudamon full on, and she tumbled from the sky. "Angemon!" called T.K., just coming off the ledge toward the embattled Digi-Destined. "You've got to digivolve!" The Crest of Hope began to glow._

"Angemon digivolve to… MagnaAngemon!"

            "He's too strong!" Tai shouted. As if to disprove Tai's words, Garudamon hovered back up into the sky, and the battle began anew. In a surprising display of strategy, Garudamon swooped down and grasped SkullGoromon's horns, pulling him away from the Digi-Destined. Enraged, SkullGoromon charged at Garudamon. Raidramon darted in behind him, and struck with full power. "_Thunder Blast!" he called, an enormous bolt of electricity striking SkullGoromon. At the same moment, Garudamon released her hold and dropped back. "__Wing Blade!" she shouted. The force of the attacks, combined with his great momentum, was enough to send SkullGoromon tumbling off the edge of the cliff. "__Gate of Destiny," MagnaAngemon whispered as SkullGoromon fell. "__Arctic Blast!" SkullGoromon roared as he fell into the digital rift created by MagnaAngemon's attack. The gateway closed, and SkullGoromon was no more… but his final attack was enough to cause an avalanche! _

            "Everybody, run!" Tai shouted. Tai, Sora, T.K., and the Digimon all began to run as fast as they could toward the depthless chasm, a virtual wall of snow and ice closing in on them. "Grab on!" Garudamon yelled. Tai and Sora each grabbed onto one of Garudamon's legs, and T.K. landed safely on the back of MagnaAngemon. Garudamon and MagnaAngemon took flight just as the avalanche crashed down behind them, descending into the unknown depths of the yawning, gaping maw of the black pit. Raidramon jumped _over the deep pit, clearing it by a good thirty feet. _

            All three Digimon continued the journey back to Gennai's farmhouse, the rumblings of the avalanche and the unknown depths of the vast chasm receding rapidly behind them. Sora kissed Tai tenderly, passionately on the lips as they descended toward the small farmhouse, the whole of the world still cloaked in soft, silent, peaceful darkness. As the Dark Lord's battalions moved into place, however, they guaranteed that tomorrow would indeed be a very difficult day for the Digi-Destined.


	4. Part 3: The Search For Agumon

The Crest of Courage

Part III: The Search for Agumon

            T.K. was awakened by a loud shout from Joe. "We're doomed!" Joe was shouting cheerfully, practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. T.K. rubbed his eyes, exhausted, and glanced at the clock. 7:30 AM. After the previous night's battle with SkullGoromon, T.K. had barely gotten three hours of sleep. "Joe," he yelled irritably, "mind keeping it down a bit? Some people are TRYING TO SLEEP!" T.K. screamed the last few words directly into Joe's left ear as he bounced past. Joe paid no attention whatsoever, and even broke into a sort of song. "We're doomed, we're doomed!" he sang, high-pitched and extraordinarily off-key. "We're all GONNA DIE!!!!" he screamed, leaping from the top of one of the bunk beds to the center of the room. 

            _That's strange, thought Izzy. __I'm positive I went to sleep on a ground-level cot last night. Yet, I woke up in the opposite corner of the room, on the top bunk of a bunk bed. Interesting. He went back to work on his computer. __This place sure is weird, Tai thought, just waking up and noticing the same thing. _

            By this time, the incredible racket Joe was making had awakened all eight Digi-Destined (nine, counting Davis). "DOES ANYONE MIND TELLING ME WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" Davis screamed, loudly enough to quiet down even Joe. "Well," Izzy said, looking up from his laptop, "Joe had seven cups of espresso this morning, and he's a bit wired right now." "A bit?!" Tai said, incredulous, as he fought to keep Joe pinned down in the center of the room so he couldn't start his bouncing again. Just then the sliding glass door to the room slid open, and Gennai stepped through. "Hey, didn't that used to be an oak door?" Kari asked suspiciously. However, the look on Gennai's face was enough to stifle any complaints, even those coming from Joe as Tai fought to hold him down in the center of the room. Abruptly, the two stopped fighting and turned toward Gennai, panting for breath. Gennai's eyes swept the room, and he gestured toward the back wall, which had become a giant screen that was currently displaying a map. "I'm really starting to hate this place," Davis muttered. 

            The map's viewpoint shifted, and thin green ping lines began to drift across the screen. "Radar," Izzy said, shutting down his own laptop. "Yes," Gennai said. "As you can see by the blips moving toward us from that direction-" he gestured vaguely off to the East- "We are under attack." "We're doomed," Joe said again, unnecessarily. Davis punched him. Gennai continued, ignoring the by-play. "Our resistance movement wasn't sufficient to challenge the Dark Lord before, and now it appears he's decided to play hardball. It looks as if every enemy Digimon in the sector is converging here! The duty of defending against so large a force will fall largely to you." he said, looking directly at each of the Digi-Destined in turn. 

            The screen blurred for a moment, then came back up to display a list of schematics, apparently on types of Digimon. "These are the Digimon that have joined the resistance against the Dark Lord," Gennai said, clearing his throat. "Meramon, almost an entire tribe. Not all the Meramon were enslaved by the Warlock Lord, and now that he has their homeland under his control…" Gennai trailed off, his face expressionless. "Next, we have the Starmon. They seem to be one of the few types of Digimon completely unaffected by the Dark Lord's powers, but as they are extremely rare, we have only three. Finally," Gennai said, switching to a new set of schematics, "We have the Mekanorimon. They're not the fastest Digimon in the world, but they do possess great firepower that should come in handy." 

            "What's that?" Tai asked, pointing to the design of an overtly mechanical Digimon, which was crossed over by a large icon of a wrench. "That's Andromon," Gennai said. "Great!" Sora said. "It'll be good to have him on our team." "Not so fast, Sora," Gennai said. "He's still under repair. He was heavily damaged after the battle with Machinedramon, and after Piedmon's defeat, he came here for repairs. However," he said, brightening, "We're almost finished working on him. He's truly a marvel of technology, and if we can get him working during the battle, he'll be a tremendous asset."

            "I'll want to see you out front in an hour," Gennai said, rising. "Prepare yourselves; it's going to be a long day." As the other Digi-Destined went about preparing breakfast for themselves, Davis whispered something to Veemon. In response, Veemon began to glow.

"Veemon armor-digivolve to… Raidramon!"

            Raidramon darted out the window and went running swiftly across the open prairie. "Where's he going?" Kari asked curiously. "Oh, out to do a little scouting," Davis replied nonchalantly, though his heart was secretly racing at the thought of talking to Kari. Kari glanced out the window after Raidramon, then gave Davis a little half-smile and turned to follow the other Digi-Destined into the dining room for breakfast. Davis's heart did a little flip-flop at this, as he watched Kari walk slowly down the hall, admiring the graceful way her slim, lithe, beautiful body moved.

            Meanwhile, Raidramon ran across the open prairie directly toward the converging army of the Warlock Lord. He veered sharply to the right as something huge loomed up out of the early morning light. There! Up ahead, another one. "_Rock Punch!" one of the gigantic creatures roared, and Raidramon quickly sidestepped to evade the earth-shaking blast. Up ahead, more enemy Digimon! __I'd better report back to Davis; tell him what I saw, Raidramon thought, as he turned swiftly to the west and sped back toward Gennai's house. The Digi-Destined were all standing in the main room of the farmhouse- or whatever it was- talking when Veemon burst into the room. _

"They're nearly here!" he shouted. "A lot of Meramon, some Minotarumon, and a bunch of gigantic shapes I couldn't make out. There were some other Digimon moving off in the distance," he added, "but I didn't get a good look at them." "OK, guys," Davis said, "You heard him. Let's do it!!!" The Digi-Destined marched past a white marble fountain out the door of the house (_When did Gennai get a fountain? T.K. wondered) and arranged themselves according to Gennai's instructions. "Most of the Mekanorimon will go there, as an advance guard, with a few in reserve near the house. The Starmon will cover our left, and the Meramon the right, with a good number in reserve. You Digi-Destined stay toward the center of the formation; help out where you think you're needed most." Gennai walked back to stand against the red brick wall of the house ("I thought it was made of wood," said Mimi). "Good luck, Digi-Destined!" he called. Just then, an earth-shaking blast shook the ground under the feet of the Digi-Destined. The attack had begun._

            The Warlock Lord sat astride Dark Tyrannomon, watching the assault take shape. He'd had a name once, but no longer. Early on, while he was still in his Rookie stage, he'd discovered his unique power to mimic other Digimon. As his powers developed, he'd been able to copy them so well as to be taken for one of them, even to the point of being able to use their attacks. Over time he had grown so consumed with his ability, and so corrupted by his growing lust for power that he had used his gift for great evil, until he became he very Warlock Lord Gennai and the Digi-Destined battled so desperately against. A wintry sort of smile flickered across his face as the first of his troops converged on the defenders. They wouldn't stand a chance.

            Four huge, dark shapes hulked at the leading edge of the Dark Lord's attack. _Rockmon, Veemon thought as the huge Digimon slowly advanced toward the Mekanorimon. "__Twin Beam!" the advance guard of Mekanorimon shouted, and one of the huge, hulking shapes simply… disappeared. The other three made quick, indiscernible motions with their front claws, and disappeared in a sudden cloud of dust. Suddenly a line of bull-like Digimon stepped forward. "Minotarumon!" Izzy cried. "Mekanorimon, get out of there!" But the Mekanorimon were far too slow. "__Darkside Quake!" the Minotarumon roared as one. "__Twin Beam!" the Mekanorimon countered. Both lines of Digimon poured everything they had into the attack. But as powerful as they were, the Mekanorimons' Twin Beam attacks were quickly overpowered by the incredible waves of darkness emanating from the Minotarumon._

As an aftereffect of the attack, great fissures were rent in the earth, and the entire line of Mekanorimon was incapacitated by the attack. The Minotarumon stalked wrathfully forward. Meanwhile, a sharp cry echoed from the far left. A huge force of Meramon had attacked! The Meramon with the Resistance countered, launching their own attacks. Soon all was a swirling maelstrom of heat, smoke, and confusion. "Time to step it up, guys!" Davis shouted. A piercing, bright white light encompassed the whole of the center of the battlefield, all eyes shifting focus for a moment to watch the incredible changes that took place.

"Patamon digivolve to… Angemon!"

"Gatomon digivolve to… Angewomon!"

"Gabumon warp-digivolve to… MetalGarurumon!"

"Veemon golden armor-digivolve to… Magnamon!"

            The other Digimon, having already digivolved to their Champion forms, began to change once again.

"Kabuterimon digivolve to… MegaKabuterimon!"

"Ikkakumon digivolve to… Zudomon!"

"Togemon digivolve to… Lillymon!"

"Birdramon digivolve to… Garudamon!"

            "_Darkside Quake!" the Minotarumon roared. "__Magna Blaster!" Magnamon countered, forcing the wave of dark energy backward. Suddenly, Dark Tyrannomon joined in the assault. "__Fire Blast!" he bellowed, adding to the already devastating barrage of energy unleashed by the Minotarumon. The resulting blast overcame Magnamon's attack, and, already exhausted by the ordeals of the night before and the scouting run earlier in the day, Magnamon shrank, digivolving back into Veemon. Yet, as the Digi-Destined joined the attack, it became increasingly clear that the Dark Lord could not win._

Astride Dark Tyrannomon, the Dark Lord raised an angry fist. "I'll turn their own forces against them, then! "_Feel the Touch of Evil!" Using an attack that was originally Devimon's, all of the Resistance fighters with the exception of the Digi-Destined appeared to go insane. They turned and began __attacking the Digi-Destined, forcing them to give ground before the overwhelming numbers. In addition, the radar had pinpointed __another group of enemy Digimon moving up from the South. "__Vulcan's Hammer!" "__Celestial Arrow!" "__Wing Blade!" "__Hand of Fate!" The attacks combined on the Minotarumon, crushing them all with one hit. Then the Meramon swarmed in. _

Meanwhile, MegaKabuterimon was dealing alone with the newly arrived enemy Digimon. _Okuwamon, he thought, __the digivolved form of Kuwagamon. "__Double scissor claw!" the attack came. MegaKabuterimon cried out in shock and pain and stumbled backwards, already feeling a great drain on his energy. Suddenly, directly in front of the farmhouse, huge columns of earth geysered out of nowhere, and the Rockmon launched themselves directly at a defenseless Gennai, who, for some reason, stood his ground, unmoving! __So that's where they went, thought Izzy. "Gennai! Get out of there!" he shouted. "__Rock Ball!" the Rockmon rumbled, curling their rocky bodies into boulders and propelling themselves at Gennai. Just as they were about to hit, Gennai raised his hands. "Digital Barrier, activate!" he cried. An electric, crackling hum filled the air as shielding was activated around the entire house. "Way to go, Gennai!" Sora shouted, as the Rockmon rebounded off the shield with cries of pain. "__Rock Punch!" they called, as fists of fury began to wear away at the shield. _

Meanwhile, MegaKabuterimon was struggling to fend off the attacks of the Okuwamon. "_Double Scissor Claw!" the attack came. MegaKabuterimon roared in pain. He began to glow. __Oh no, thought Izzy, __he's becoming Tentomon again! But instead of turning back into Tentomon, MegaKabuterimon began to digivolve!_

"MegaKabuterimon digivolve to… HerculesKabuterimon!"

            "_Double Scissor Claw!" the Okuwamon attacked again. "__Giga Scissor Claw!" HerculesKabuterimon bellowed, absorbing the attack with ease. "__Mega Electro Shocker!" the attack sped towards the Okuwamon with frightening speed, and the balance of power had shifted._

            Suddenly, there came a loud, triumphant cry. The Rockmon had finally broken through the Digital Barrier. The sharp crackling in the air snapped off as the strain of maintaining the shield became too much for Gennai's aging generator. As they prepared once again to direct their attacks at Gennai, Gennai's second line of defense snapped online. Gatling laser mounts rotated out from the wall and began blasting the Rockmon. The Rockmon flinched backward in sudden pain.

            Meanwhile, the other Digi-Destined battled with growing success against the Meramon.

"Angemon digivolve to… MagnaAngemon!"

            "_Vulcan'__s Hammer!" "__Wing Blade!" The other Digimon added their attacks, and soon the last of the Meramon were in rout, fleeing before the overwhelming onslaught of the Digi-Destined. Meanwhile, HerculesKabuterimon had finished off the last of the Okuwamon, and flew to join the other Digimon as they turned toward Dark Tyrannomon and the few surviving attackers._

            However, most of Gennai's laser turrets were already slagged by the Rockmons' assault, and the few that survived were recharging. With nothing left to stop them, the Rockmon began to attack the little farmhouse directly. But they staggered back in shock as a towering, mechanical form appeared out of nowhere and hammered up against them. Andromon had joined the battle. "_Gatling Attack!" he called, a powerful stream of laser beams annihilating one of the Rockmon. The other two began to run. "__Lightning Blade!" Andromon shouted, the blade of pure energy slicing completely through the two surviving Rockmon._

            "_Vulcan's Hammer!" "__Celestial Arrow!" "__Wing Blade!" The attacks destroyed what remained of the attackers- all, that is, except for Dark Tyrannomon and the Warlock Lord. Suddenly, an arm thrust its way out of the black robes, and a mysterious, dark light engulfed Dark Tyrannomon. "A Dark Digivice!" Izzy said in wonder._

"Dark Tyrannomon digivolve to… MetalTyrannomon!"

            As the violent, dark nonlight dissipated, a new Digimon stood before the Digi-Destined. It actually looked much like MetalGreymon, but Sora could tell the difference in the way something infinitely more sinister seemed to fill the air around it. "_Fire Blast II!" it roared, as it opened its huge, gaping maw to unleash an enormous ball of flame. "__Wing Blade!" Garudamon countered. But MetalTyrannomon's attack didn't even slow as it rammed its way through to Garudamon, who fell from the sky. Before she could hit the ground, however, MetalTyrannomon's giant tail swung around and caught Garudamon from behind. Her energy gone, she digivolved back into Biyomon. "__Flower Cannon!" Lillymon's blast didn't even seem to faze the enraged Digimon. "__Nuclear Laser!" MetalTyrannomon roared, catching HerculesKabuterimon and Angewomon, draining their energy and forcing them to return to their Rookie forms. _

Out of the violent, earthshaking explosions caused by the powerful laser blast came Andromon. "Bring missiles to position… FIRE!!!" Andromon's chest plates slid aside to expose hidden missile launchers. The tubes spat fire, and twin missiles sped toward MetalTyrannomon, who roared in agony.!" "_Metal Wolf Claw!" "__Vulcan's Hammer!" "__Angel Rod!" The attacks hammered at MetalTyrannomon. "__Nuclear Laser" he roared. The ground in front of the Digi-Destined became a fiery maelstrom of explosions, as MetalTyrannomon sought to use the concealing smoke generated by the explosions to escape. MagnaAngemon rose above the blast, in vengeful pursuit of MetalTyrannomon. "__Angel Rod!" he cried, a blinding flash of light consuming the fleeing Digimon. Howling in pain and rage, MetalTyrannomon turned. _

"_Fire Blast II" he shouted, connecting with MagnaAngemon full force. The stricken angel fell from the sky, stunned. In the meantime, MetalTyrannomon made his escape. As he ran the Dark Lord extended a hand from beneath his robes. A small, spinning device twirled in midair for a moment, then spun back toward Gennai's house. __A black gear, Tai thought. __I haven't seen one of those since… Devimon… The gear streaked overhead, slamming directly into Andromon. "Guys, look out!" Tai shouted, as Andromon began to scream in agony. Andromon straightened up suddenly, his eyes gone dark red. Turning toward the Digi-Destined, he went on the attack. "__Mega Electro Shocker!" HerculesKubuterimon roared. Andromon shook off the blast of immense energy as if it were nothing, and continued toward the Digi-Destined. Suddenly, out of nowhere, MetalGarurumon appeared. "__Ice Wolf Claw!" he shouted, charging toward Andromon at full speed. "__Gatling Attack!" came the reply. Intense beams of bright blue light shot out of the cannon in Andromon's chest cavity, breaking apart MetalGarurumon's attack and sending the valiant Digimon flying. _

"Bring missiles to position… FIRE!!!" Once again Andromon's chest plates slid aside to reveal hidden missile launchers. The lethal twin missiles lanced out of the tubes and streaked skyward, bursting directly over MetalGarurumon and HerculesKabuterimon. MetalGarurumon could barely bring himself to rise. Trying desperately to shake off the effects of the blast, he launched himself fearlessly at Andromon's back. There! Directly above Andromon's waist, he saw a tiny, spinning Black Gear, digging its way ever deeper into Andromon's metallic back. "_Metal Wolf Claw!" he howled in fury, charging once again toward Andromon. And then Andromon began to turn. Lightning quick, he raised his hands. MetalGarurumon tried to twist aside, but even he already knew it was too late. "__Lightning Blade!" Andromon called, and a blade of pure energy sliced clean through MetalGarurumon. _

The stricken Digimon screamed in agony as the blast caught him in mid-leap, flinging him to the ground, where he lay motionless, his energy expended. "_Angel Rod!" MagnaAngemon called, a blast of white light streaking toward the ground. "__Gatling Attack!" Andromon bellowed, the blue laser beams once again lancing out of his chest cavity, breaking apart MagnaAngemon's attack. "Veemon," Davis said quietly, "See that black gear?" Veemon nodded. "I need you to go take it out, buddy. Can you do it?" Veemon nodded once again, though, as exhausted as he was, he didn't see what good it would do._

"Veemon golden armor-digivolve to… Magnamon!"

"_Gatling Attack!" Andromon roared, and a cry of pain was heard as Lillymon was shot out of the sky. Magnamon's angle was perfect. He aimed carefully; he wouldn't get a second chance. Suddenly Andromon realized his danger and started to turn… but not fast enough. "__Magna Blaster!" Magnamon roared in fury, pouring all his remaining power into the blast. An enormous ray of golden energy shot at Andromon's back. He screamed in agony as the attack struck with all the energy Magnamon could give it. It was enough. The black gear was dislodged from Andromon, and, floating up into the sky, it disintegrated. Magnamon collapsed in shock; the energy he'd expended had been much more than he could afford to lose. Unconscious, he digivolved back into DemiVeemon, his breathing shallow and uneven. Andromon also fell to the ground, his circuits failing to respond after the powerful electromagnetic blast. The wounded Digimon were taken into Gennai's house, and placed in what he called a "healing chamber," which would supposedly speed up their recovery. Izzy was almost positive that Gennai hadn't had a healing chamber before. _

Meanwhile, the Digi-Destined went back to their bedrooms, where most of them fell asleep, exhausted. Kari lay quietly on one of the bottom bunks, her soft, golden hair flowing down around her head and seeming to form a sort of halo about her. As she stared up toward the ceiling, deep in thought, the walls of the room began to recede from her, to blur, until all the world was cloaked in blackness. She felt cool, hardened rock beneath her feet, and realized that somehow she was standing. A footstep echoed behind her, and Kari spun around, a stab of fear shooting through her. _Where am I?_ she thought to herself. Suddenly, a dark, massive hand shot out of the darkness and grabbed her roughly, spinning her around. A tall, black-cloaked stranger stood before her, red lightning crackling at his fingertips. A single, massive hand came up, shoving Kari roughly. Reeling in fear, Kari fell to the ground.  _Myotismon_, she thought  in terror as the massive  stranger loomed over  her.   _No, not Myotismon_, she saw, as the stranger brought his hands around. But something in his stance, his bearing, seemed somehow familiar… Red fire lanced out of the stranger's hands, and Kari's body convulsed with sudden pain. The stranger brought his hands around again, energy sparking at their fingertips. Kari began to scream…

In the dim, graying light of early evening, T.K. lay in the bed across from Kari's, unable to sleep. _She looks so beautiful, so innocent lying there in her sleep_, he thought. He sighed wistfully as he brushed back a wisp of stray hair, admiring the incredible beauty of her face in the light of the soft, newly risen moon, her slim, almost elfin features outlined against the halo of her shoulder-length, golden blond hair. Her breathing was soft, peaceful, serene in the silence of the darkened room, and T.K. reached out to stroke her smooth, beautiful hair as she slept, a sudden, overpowering yearning for her overtaking him as he did so. Suddenly, a shudder ran through Kari's small body, and she began to scream, T.K. withdrawing his hand quickly, alarmed. As his racing heartbeat slowly returned to normal, T.K. realized that Kari was still asleep, and was just having a bad dream. He reached out and touched her softly on the arm, stroking her warm, shaking back as the screaming subsided. 

Kari turned her head slowly to look at T.K., tears streaking the delicate features of her face. "It's all right. You're safe now," T.K. whispered as he held Kari to him, cradling her head against his body as she sobbed into his shoulder. "Kari," T.K. said, his voice choked with sudden emotion, "Kari, I love you." Kari looked up in wonderment, her sobs subsiding as she took in T.K.'s flushed face, outlined against the glow of the silvery moon, his face going even redder as he looked into her eyes, their gaze seeming to pierce to her very soul. "You do?" Kari asked softly, bringing her hand up to caress T.K.'s red-hot face. He didn't speak for a long moment, and for a while Kari thought he wasn't even going to answer. "I do," he said at last. "I love you with all my soul, Kari." Kari giggled, the sound reverberating off the walls of the narrow room, T.K. drawing back from her slightly. Her voice soft, she gazed again into T.K.'s eyes, pulling him closer to her once more. "I love you, too, T.K." she said, and as he lay close beside her, she slowly fell asleep once more, and the two were together for an eternity in their dreams.

Which lasted for all of thirty minutes, until the door to the room crashed open, and Gennai stepped through. "Good news, Digi-Destined!" he shouted, so loudly that it woke up even Davis, who was a notoriously heavy sleeper. "Won't Gennai ever learn how to let a guy sleep?" Tai yawned, exhausted. Even Joe looked tired, the caffeine jolt of that morning's espressos having worn off at last. "I've managed to track MetalTyrannomon as he fled- he's given away the Dark Lord's base of operations for this entire sector!" "Uh… so?" Mimi asked, still half asleep. "So? SO?!!! This means we can finally make our move while they're still in disarray from the retreat- maybe even rout them from the entire sector!" "Oh, good," yawned Izzy, just waking up. "What's for breakfast?" Gennai threw up his hands in irritation and stormed out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him. Kari stared after him in surprise. "Wonder what got into him?"

The sky was overcast as the last of the Digi-Destined stumbled out of the house, thunder crashing in the distance. "Sometimes being a Digi-Destined just isn't worth it." Mimi grumbled as she fought to untangle her long, knotted, windblown hair. Tai smirked with an I-told-you-so sort of face, but said nothing. After a long walk, they crested a small hill looking up at a high, steep ridge that looked impossible even for a Digimon to scale. "According to Gennai's predictions, that should be the Warlock Lord's base." Izzy muttered, half to himself. "But how are we going to get up _there_?" Sora asked. Izzy frowned in concentration as he brought up a set of diagrams on his laptop. Pointing to one of them, he said, "According to Gennai's maps, there should be an area of easy ascent somewhere to the right." As the Digi-Destined found the "area of easy ascent" Gennai had mentioned, Mimi gasped in disbelief, while Sora began to laugh uncontrollably. "Some 'easy climb', Izzy," she said, laughing. A high, nearly impossible ridgeline stretched above them, and Davis wondered how they were ever going to make it to the top. 

But somehow, they managed, with Izzy carrying Mimi on his back because, "I just don't want to get my hands dirty." Tentomon, who had easily flown up the steep cliff long before anyone else made it to the top, looked around warily, and saw… nothing. "Izzy," said Tentomon, "Where is this base Gennai was talking about?" Izzy stared intently at his computer screen. "According to the map, the base should be about five miles that way." Izzy gestured vaguely off to the north. "Five miles?!" yelled Mimi angrily. "That's right!" laughed Tai. Izzy groaned; he just knew he'd have to carry Mimi every step of the way. Several minutes into the hike, Sora began to look back nervously over her shoulder. 

"Hey, guys?" she said hesitantly, "I think something's following us." "Don't be silly, Sora," Tentomon said as he landed on tall, strangely shaped rock a couple of feet from the rest of the Digi-Destined. "There's nothing back here but this big strange evil-looking rock formation. Oh, no!" Tentomon cried, for as he said those words, the "rock formation" suddenly sprang to life, throwing Tentomon high up into the air.  A small cluster of rocks near the base of the strange creature shifted, and it took a sudden, gigantic step toward the Digi-Destined. "Oh, no, it's Mutamon!" Gabumon shouted. "Mutamon?" Davis asked. "What's that?" "Mutamon have the power to change their shape over a course of several months," Gabumon explained, as if bored. "In spite of this one's bulky appearance and shrimpy legs, he seems to be quite fast- so maybe we'd better run for it!" Gabumon shouted, for the Mutamon had begun to look quite angry. The Digi-Destined broke into a run, with the Mutamon thundering just behind. "Sure is fast for a pile of rocks!" Matt yelped, as a stray stone about the size of a baseball smacked him in the back of the head. "We've got to digivolve!" Biyomon yelled, desperate to be heard above the crashing of the enraged Mutamon's feet. At once, a flash of blinding white light erupted around the fleeing Digimon, and they began to change…

"Gabumon warp-digivolve to… MetalGarurumon!"

"Biyomon digivolve to… Birdramon!"

"Palmon digivolve to… Togemon!"

"Tentomon digivolve to… Kabuterimon!"

"Gomamon digivolve to… Ikkakumon!"

"_Frightening Noise!" Mutamon roared. "What kind of an attack is that?!" Mimi shouted, as Mutamon suddenly began to shriek horribly. "I don't know!" Matt yelled, clamping his hands over his ears, trying to blot out the awful sound. "MetalGarurumon! Blast him!" Matt shouted. "_Metal Wolf Claw_!" MetalGarurumon roared angrily, as a huge explosion engulfed Mutamon. The Digi-Destined waited tensely as the smoke from the blast cleared… and revealed Mutamon standing in the center of a deep crater, unharmed! "That rock covering- it protects him!" Izzy shouted. "Those tiny legs don't do him much good, though," Kabuterimon commented as he took off into the air. "Maybe…" Izzy muttered to himself. _

"That's it! Hey, Davis, did you save the rope from our climb up?" "Sure," Davis said, "But I don't see what good that's going to do-" "Come on!" Izzy shouted, cutting Davis off. Izzy dragged Davis straight into the path of the Mutamon. "Izzy! What are you doing?" Davis shouted. "Davis, I need you to hold this end of the rope, and pull when I say so. "If you think tackling Mutamon with this piece of rope is going to do any good-" Davis began heatedly. "Just do it, Davis!" Izzy yelled as Mutamon thundered toward them. "Now!" The rope stretched taut, and tangled up in Mutamon's spindly legs, tripping him. "He can't move!" Matt said. "Everyone, combine your attacks!" "_Meteor Wing!" "__Electro-Shocker!" "__Needle Spray!" "_Metal Wolf Claw_!" Together, the combined strength of the attacks was enough. With a last howl of rage, Mutamon was returned to the earth from which he had come._

Meanwhile, in the inner control room of the Warlock Lord's base, the titanic proportions of the blast triggered numerous alarms. "Master," Devidramon hissed, "The Digi-Destined are here! "So they made it past Mutamon," the Dark Lord mused. "I've underestimated them. We don't have much left to hold them off after today's attack." "Your orders, Master?" Devidramon hissed. "Send out the Tuttlemon. They'll delay the Digi-Destined long enough for us to move out. Prepare a cage for our 'special cargo'". "Yes, Master," Devidramon whispered.

"Hey, everyone!" Tai said. "There's the base!" he pointed to a row of long, ovular-shaped clusters of buildings. "Time to step it up!"

"Patamon digivolve to… Angemon!"

"Gatomon digivolve to… Angewomon!"

"Birdramon Digivolve to… Garudamon!"

"Kabuterimon digivolve to… MegaKabuterimon!"

"Togemon digivolve to… Lillymon!"

"Ikkakumon digivolve to… Zudomon!"

"Come on, guys!" Davis yelled. Let's do it!!!! 

                "_Metal Wolf Claw_!" MetalGarurumon roared. The attack tore a gaping hole in the side of the nearest building- and a swarm of strange, four-legged creatures spilled out. "What are _those_ things?" Mimi asked. "Tuttlemon." Tentomon said. "Aquatic creatures with a _terrible _attitude!" "Sounds kinda like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, if you ask me," said Davis. The rest of the Digi-Destined ignored him completely and prepared for battle. The Tuttlemon came on fast. Within seconds, the leader was within firing range. "Go for it, MetalGarurumon!" Matt shouted. "_Metal Wolf Claw_!" MetalGarurumon roared. The attack left nothing of the lead Tuttlemon- but within seconds, MetalGarurumon was surrounded by a dozen of the bizarre creatures. "_Aqua Blaster!" came shouts from all sides, and the valiant Digimon was thrown backward. "Now it's our turn, Veemon," Davis whispered fiercely. In response, Veemon  began to glow._

"Veemon golden armor-digivolve to… Magnamon!"

             "_Magna Blaster!" Magnamon yelled as he charged into the battle. The other Digimon added in their own attacks. "_Vulcan's Hammer_!" "_Wing Blade_!" "_Hand of Fate_!" Within seconds, what was left of the squad of Tuttlemon had begun to run in the opposite direction. "Yes! They're running away!" Davis shouted. Izzy looked puzzled for a moment, and then a look of horrified understanding dawned on him. "Guys!" he shouted. "We've got to get out of here!" Those Tuttlemon ran because someone ordered them to! The Warlock Lord probably has another nasty surprise rigged up for us!" The Digi-Destined began to run wildly after the fleeing Tuttlemon toward the Dark Lord's base- just as a titanic eruption of smoke and flame detonated behind them, throwing them all to the ground. "The Warlock Lord must have had this entire plateau rigged with explosives- look!" Izzy gasped. The cliff face behind them that they had so recently climbed slowly began to crumble, and slid away into the darkness. _

                 "Well," Tai said thoughtfully, "That takes care of our way back. I guess the only way out is straight ahead!" "Not so fast, Digi-Destined!" a menacing voice rumbled just ahead. A dark, ominously familiar head thrust out of the nearest doorway. "It's MetalTyrannomon!" T.K. yelled. A fresh squad of Tuttlemon spilled out of the doorway around him. "_Fire Blast II_!" "_Aqua Blaster!" The attacks thundered towards the Digi-Destined. "_Magna Blaster_!" "__Wing Blade!" "_Metal Wolf Claw_!" The attacks collided, creating an enormous explosion of energy that threw everyone to the ground, and obliterated most of the Tuttlemon. But MetalTyrannomon was still up, and appeared remarkably uninjured. Garudamon hovered high above the battlefield. "_Wing Blade_!" she cried. MetalTyrannomon turned at the sound of the attack with surprising speed, and countered with an attack of his own. "__Nuclear Laser!" The intense blast of coherent light sent Garudamon tumbling from the sky. But the attack had distracted him just enough for the other Digimon to make their move. "__Magna Blaster!" "__Metal Wolf Claw!" "_Flower Cannon_!" "__Horn Blaster!" MetalTyrannomon twisted around to meet the attacks, but he was far too late. _

                The blast smashed him up against the wall of the building, stunning him- but, incredibly, he'd somehow survived. "That is one strong Digimon," Matt breathed. "Finish him now!" Tai shouted. "_Hand of Fate!" Angemon yelled. MetalTyrannomon roared in agony as the attack tore through his heavy armor. "_Nuclear Laser_!" he roared. The blinding burst of light created by the attack allowed MetalTyrannomon to get up- and then he began to run. "I guess he's had enough!" said Matt. "Let's finish him!" shouted Tai. "No, Tai," Izzy said softly. "He doesn't matter anymore. What matters is whatever's inside that building he was guarding." As one, the Digi-Destined turned and walked tensely through the gaping hole in the building. Suddenly, a concealed iron gate slammed down behind them. "Welcome, Digi-Destined!" an electronically amplified voice boomed. A light snapped on at the end of a long, narrow corridor. Izzy could see that they were in some kind of immense, darkened building- an amphitheater, or a stadium.             _

              The light fell on none other than the Warlock Lord himself. "I've underestimated you," he began. "Your efforts constantly amaze me." _What's he leading up to? _Izzy thought. "However, I have one more surprise in store for you this evening," the Dark Lord said, a sinister edge coming into his voice. "Digi-Destined, prepare to meet your doom!" The lights came up in the darkened room. It was huge and vast- and completely empty, except for a cage on a raised pedestal in the center of the room. Inside the cage was Agumon. 

                "Agumon!" Tai cried, amazed to see his Digimon still alive after the battle with GigaDramon. "Come on Agumon, digivolve into WarGreymon and we'll teach this jerk a lesson!" Agumon said nothing in response, only began to glow. The brilliant light that accompanied a digivolving intensified, and out of the blinding flash stepped… Greymon. "What happened to WarGreymon?" Tai wondered aloud. "Agumon is no longer under your control!" the voice of the Warlock Lord boomed. "Now we shall see what happens when the most powerful of your Digimon is turned back upon you!" "This can't be happening!" Tai said frantically. With an enraged bellow, Greymon tore the bars of the cage asunder, and started toward the Digi-Destined. "Greymon, don't do this!" Tai pleaded. Greymon said nothing, only continued striding toward the people he had once called his friends. "Izzy, what are we going to do now?" Tai asked desperately. "Whatever we must do," said Izzy softly, "Even if that includes destroying Agumon." Tai looked around desperately, then let his shoulders slump, resigned. "Alright," he whispered, "do whatever it is you have to do." "Tai-" Sora began. 

               But her words were cut off by a sudden furious roar from Greymon. "_Nova Blast_!" he bellowed. The enormous blast of flame headed straight toward Izzy. "MegaKabuterimon!" he cried. Blinding white streams of pure energy cascaded forth from Izzy's Crest of Knowledge, engulfing MegaKabuterimon in their radiance. 

"MegaKabuterimon digivolve to… HerculesKabuterimon!" 

              The newly digivolved form of MegaKabuterimon lunged in front of Izzy, deflecting Greymon's attack with his scale-like armor. "_Mega Electro Shocker!" HerculesKabuterimon bellowed. "__Nova Blast!" Greymon roared, obliterating the other's attack. "Wow, Greymon's somehow gotten a lot stronger!" breathed Kari. The cold, mirthless laughter of the Warlock Lord echoed off the walls of the chamber. "_Metal Wolf Claw_!" MetalGarurumon shouted, sending Greymon to the ground, moaning in agony. "__Mega Electro Shocker!" "We've got him now!" whooped Davis. But Davis had spoken too soon. From across the room, the deadly Dark Digivice flared to life. A terrifying beam of nonlight shot at Greymon, and he began to glow. Greymon began to grow to enormous heights, and shed his skin, revealing gigantic, milky-white bones. "Oh, no, I've seen this before! Izzy cried. "It's SkullGreymon!" shouted Sora. _

               "I won't let this happen again!" HerculsKabuterimon bellowed. "I've got to stop him! _Giga Scissor Claw_!" "_Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon joined in. But they were already too late. The newly transformed SkullGreymon swatted the attacks aside with contemptuous ease, and turned on the Digi-Destined. "Everyone, attack together!" Joe shouted. As if in response, the other Digimon began their attacks: "__Mega Electro Shocker!" "_Metal Wolf Claw_!" "_Flower Cannon_!" "__Magna Blaster!" "_Vulcan's Hammer_!" "__Hand of Fate!" "__Celestial Arrow!" "__Wing Blade!" The incredible blast of energy struck SkullGreymon head-on. He groaned in sudden pain- then straightened up again almost immediately, and went on the attack! "He's too strong!" gasped Sora. SkullGreymon leaned over slightly, his massive bulk towering over the Digi-Destined. _

               And from his back launched the biggest missile Izzy had ever seen, right          at HerculesKabuterimon. The missile hit, but didn't even slow, instead taking    

HerculesKabuterimon along with it as it plunged straight through the wall of the building. A deafening explosion erupted in the distance as the missile detonated, the shockwave causing the building to shake. As SkullGreymon turned once more toward the Digi-Destined, Kari strode forward, the Crest of Light surrounding her body with an eerie, blinding glow. SkullGreymon launched another missile attack, sending MetalGarurumon and Zudomon flying across the room, digivolving back into Rookies. The Crest of Light flared brightly, and SkullGreymon turned, as if confused. 

               "No! Kari!" T.K. shouted. The Dark Lord suddenly noticed what was going on as well. He swung his hands around, pointing at Kari, red light sparking from their fingertips. Red fire lanced out of the Dark Lord's hands, and Kari screamed in sudden agony. T.K. watched, powerless to stop what was happening. The Dark Lord brought his hands around again, and the terrifying blast of red light caught Kari and sent her smashing into the wall, where she lay, still. The brilliant glow from the Crest of Light flickered and went out. Abruptly, SkullGreymon turned back toward the Digi-Destined and continued his attack. 

               As T.K. saw the Warlock Lord's attack strike Kari, his world went red with sudden fury. He charged past SkullGreymon at the Dark Lord, screaming in rage. "Well, well- what's this?" The Dark Lord's taunting words only made T.K.'s rage grow even further. A boiling hatred erupted in T.K.'s chest, leaving no place for fear. Without knowing what he was doing, T.K. kept running straight at the Warlock Lord, for the first time in his life wanting to attack… to kill. "How can you justify what you have done here?" T.K. bellowed as he ran. "I don't have to justify myself to the likes of you." the Dark Lord said, amused. 

               At that moment, T.K. forgot about the battle going on behind him. He forgot that he was a tiny, powerless mortal facing off against the awesome, omnipotent power of the Warlock Lord. All he knew was that he wanted to hurt the Dark Lord as badly as he could, and that he didn't care how much he got hurt in the process. "You will pay for what you have done to this world!" he screamed, launching himself at the Warlock Lord's thick, black robes. The Warlock Lord extended his hands. Red fire blazed forth from them, but T.K. ignored the pain and continued his suicidal attack. Behind him, SkullGreymon launched another missile attack, leaving only Angemon unharmed. Suddenly, the Dark Lord appeared to change inside his robes. He seemed to swell, to grow larger. He extended a transformed arm from beneath his robes. "_Crescent Beam!" he shouted, a concentrated beam of pure energy connecting with T.K. and sending him flying. T.K. picked himself back up, determined to go down fighting. And then the Crest of Hope began to glow…_

"Angemon digivolve to… MagnaAngemon!"

The newly transformed angel flew at SkullGreymon, evading the swipe of one of his mammoth, bony hands. "_Magna Healing,"__ he whispered. A soft, healing light filled the room, and suddenly the Dark Digivice ceased to glow. SkullGreymon was finally rid of the Warlock Lord's control. Bereft of the Dark Lord's seemingly unlimited energy, he shrank, digivolving back into Koromon. The Dark Lord looked on, astonished. Astride Angemon, T.K. flew at the Dark Lord, enraged. The Warlock Lord's astonishment turned into outright fear, and he suddenly threw a lever embedded in the wall next to him. A concealed iron gate behind him swung open. "Come, Devidramon!" he shouted. "We leave now!" _

A hideous, black, winged shape swooped low from out of nowhere, and the Warlock Lord climbed astride it. Devidramon swept out the open gateway, with MagnaAngemon in close pursuit. "Get out of the building!" T.K. shouted. "I'll go after the Warlock Lord!" Before anyone could reply, MagnaAngemon was gone. "_Angel Rod!" MagnaAngemon called, a beam of coherent light speeding toward the Warlock Lord. Devidramon swerved aside. "__Crescent Beam!" the Warlock Lord bellowed, the blast narrowly missing MagnaAngemon. _

Suddenly, the Warlock Lord began to grow, to change yet again. A pair of vaguely familiar arms lifted themselves free of the Dark Lord's cloak, and energy began to gather at their fingertips. "_Terra Force_!" he roared, the titanic beam of energy descending on the building they had just left. _I only hope everyone got out all right_ T.K. thought grimly. "_Angel Rod_!" MagnaAngemon called again, Devidramon barely avoiding the ensuing blast of energy. "_Mega Claw!" the Warlock Lord countered. This time, the attack connected with MagnaAngemon, and with a cry of pain he fell from the sky. By the time he recovered himself, the Dark Lord was gone.  "It's too late to catch him now," T.K. said bitterly. __Someday, somehow, I'll find you, T.K. thought. _And when I do, you shall pay for what you have done to all the people of this world._ T.K. and MagnaAngemon approached the destroyed building, finding the rest of the Digi-Destined huddled outside. _

Kari lay on the ground, unconscious. "Kari!" T.K. cried. Running forward, he cradled her in his arms, her soft, blonde hair cascading over his legs. Kari stirred, moaning softly. Her eyes slowly opened as they took in the concerned face of T.K. She smiled faintly. "That was a really brave thing you did for me back there, T.K." she said. T.K.'s voice was suddenly choked with emotion. "I love you, Kari," he said softly. "I'll always love you. Let's go home."


	5. Part 4: Polar Glory

The Crest of Courage  
  
1 Part IV: Polar Glory  
  
  
  
The dusts of the silent prairie stirred softly in the quiet stillness of the pre-dawn darkness as MagnaAngemon came in for a landing, the exhausted Digi-Destined stumbling through the door of Gennai's small farmhouse. Guardromon stood back from the door as the Digi-Destined passed, silent and unmoving. "Oh, you're back!" Gennai said energetically. Doesn't this guy ever quit? Tai wondered. "How'd it go? Took you long enough." Gennai said, as the Digi-Destined collapsed on various cots and couches spread throughout the house. "Well?" Gennai spoke this last question directly into Tai's ear as he began to snore. "Urgh," said Tai in his sleep. "Boy, that Gennai sure is a creep, isn't he?" he mumbled. "WAKE UP!!!" Gennai shouted, his face less than an inch from Tai's. Tai's eyes snapped open. "We got there and we fought some monsters and we found Agumon and ran the Warlock Lord off. Happy?" "Quite," Gennai said as he left the room. What a strange old man, Tai said to himself. Less than a minute later, Taichi Kamiya was asleep again.  
  
The snows of the frozen wastelands of the far north swirled in sudden flurries as Devidramon made his landing. The Warlock Lord shivered, the sudden blast of cold as he jumped down from Devidramon's back almost overwhelming. The only structure visible for hundreds of miles was a small, gray, unremarkable-looking tower. But it was for this tower that the Dark Lord made, stumbling with fatigue from the long ride. With hands half frozen from the arctic wind, the Dark Lord unbolted an access hatch on the back of the tower. From memory, he keyed in a code sequence known only to himself and a few others, and the doorway to the tower hissed open, the opening in the metallic exterior just wide enough for the Dark Lord to pass through. The door hissed shut behind him, the swirling snowstorm erasing all signs of his passage.  
  
Antioch stood in the control room of the Warlock Lord's underground base, strange figures scrolling rapidly across the screen of the monitor directly across from him. Antioch. Named for the giant of legends that drew his strength from the earth, Antioch resembled his namesake somewhat. Short, rather heavyset, he was the only human besides the Digi-Destined, so far as he knew, ever to enter the Digital World. Gnarled, work-thickened hands fastened on the keyboard in front of him, the final results of the reactor tests visible on his screen. A rustling of robes behind him told him that the Warlock Lord had arrived. "Antioch," the Warlock Lord said, "What is the status of the base?" "The reactor just underwent its final tests. Everything looks good so far. The reactor core is heating up even now, and should be working fully within the hour," Antioch said, not taking his eyes off the screen. Good, the Dark Lord thought to himself, The Project is working perfectly. Soon, too, I will be able to launch a nuclear strike that will wipe the Digi-Destined off the face of this world.  
  
The Demon Hunter stalked silently along the wall beneath the sleeping chamber of the Digi-Destined. Its red eyes gleamed in the darkness, from anticipation at what was to come. It lifted its misshapen head to look through the small window, waiting, planning to make sure that none of the Digi-Destined should escape. Walking on all fours, with surprising agility for a thing so huge, so hideous, it stalked stealthily toward the front door.  
  
Kari tossed and turned restlessly in her narrow bed, unable to sleep. Even though she was physically exhausted, for some reason she couldn't bring herself to go to sleep. Sighing, she looked out the window, hoping to gain reassurance from the familiar prairie vista- and reeled in mute horror as two gleaming red eyes stared back. As the red eyes lowered, releasing Kari from their hypnotic gaze, she turned away. Shaking with fear, she made her way across the room, taking T.K. by the shoulder and shaking him awake. "Kari?" T.K. said sleepily, "What's the matter?" Grabbing T.K. by the arm, Kari pulled him over to the window. "There was something out there," she said. T.K. squinted out the window, and saw. nothing. "Maybe you were having a bad dream or something," he said. "There's nothing out there." "But I saw something," Kari insisted, "this pair of bright red eyes, just staring at me." "Look, Kari," T.K. said, "Maybe you thought you saw something out there, but-" T.K. never finished his sentence. A huge, jarring crash rocked the house as the front door was torn asunder. Guardromon reacted immediately. "Gatling Attack!" he cried, revolving machine pistols extending from his chest, deadly red laser beams flying at the unseen attacker. But the enemy dodged swiftly, its huge bulk belied by its inhuman speed and strength. With a growl of primal fury, the Demon Hunter spun under Guardromon's protruding machine pistols. Wickedly sharp claws sliced through solid steel as a knife through butter, cutting Guardromon's main power cables. The machine pistols stuttered to a halt. "Warning," Guardromon began, "System integrity severely compromised. Switching to secondary attack mode. Warning-" The hideous creature growled deep in its throat. Suddenly, in a movement that seemed to defy reality, the creature leaped. Slashing down viciously, the rending motion ruining what remained of Guardromon's face, the Demon Hunter smashed Guardromon through the wall. Hissing with pleasure, the hideous, misshapen creature turned toward the Digi-Destined.  
  
Tai woke suddenly from his sleep. He'd been too exhausted even to make it into his own room, and had ended up sleeping on a couch in a reading room off the main hallway. What was that? he wondered, the crash from the door jarring him awake. Suddenly, the wall in front of Tai seemed to explode, what remained of Guardromon smashing into a bookcase next to him. Tai's heart racing, he ran to the other side of the room. "Agumon!" he whispered as loud as he dared. "Come on, wake up buddy!" Agumon groaned as he rolled sleepily over, one eye opening to glance, exhausted, at Tai. "Something's happened!" Tai said. "Come on, we've got to find out if the others are in danger!" As he and Agumon stepped carefully through the hole in the wall that Guardromon had made, they caught a glimpse of something huge, something foul and grotesque as it ripped open the door to the sleeping chambers of the Digi-Destined.  
  
Mimi gasped in horror as the Demon Hunter tore open the door, growling in primal rage as it surveyed the room before it. It was a four-legged creature, a monster, a predator like nothing Mimi had ever seen. It had huge jaws and a massive neck and shoulders- and its dark red eyes fastened on the Digi-Destined with a hunger that was terrifying. Then Andromon stepped out of the shadows, and calmly swung the door shut. And then the door exploded, the Demon Hunter a dark streak that catapulted into Andromon, both disappearing in a shower of blood and metal and bits of wood. As the dust from the debris settled, the Demon Hunter appeared unharmed- but Andromon was nowhere in sight. Fear pounded in Sora's chest, raw and terrible. She could see the gleam of its eyes and teeth in the misty gloom. She saw it clearly, revealed for just an instant in a patch of gray light, all neck and blunt muzzle, with huge jaws and rows of teeth. Hissing with pleasure, the demon began to advance.  
  
Meanwhile, Tai and Agumon raced around the corner nearest the sleeping chamber of the other Digi-Destined. They skidded to a halt as they saw the horror that was advancing toward their friends. Tai's breath froze in his throat as he saw Andromon, one arm flung limply over a pile of debris. The Demon Hunter didn't appear to notice them, its attention fixed wholly on its intended prey. "Agumon!" whispered Tai as loudly as he dared, "You've got to digivolve!" "Tai-" began Agumon, "I can't! What if something happens like last time and I turn into SkullGreymon again? Meanwhile, the other Digimon had recovered themselves enough to react to the advancing demon. It halted in confusion as a bright, white light began to shimmer over the back half of the room.  
  
"Palmon digivolve to. Togemon!"  
  
"Tentomon digivolve to. Kabuterimon!"  
  
"Gabumon warp-digivolve to. MetalGarurumon!"  
  
"Come on, Biyomon, digivolve!" Sora said frantically. "I can't!" Biyomon replied. "I don't have enough energy after last night's battle!" The other Digimon were looking similarly weary. The Demon Hunter surveyed its intended victims. None of the smaller Digimon would challenge it, it decided. Only the larger would pose a threat. The demon's tongue licked out across its hooked teeth, and its jaws snapped at the air. The demon crept through the doorway in a crouch, ready to pounce, its dark eyes fixed on MetalGarurumon. In a movement that seemed faster than thought, the demon lunged at MetalGarurumon. But the giant wolf was fast also, and leapt nimbly to evade the killing blow. Even so, the Demon Hunter's lightning- fast reflexes did not permit MetalGarurumon to escape unharmed. A clawed forearm struck in an impossibly fast maneuver, sending MetalGarurumon careening into the wall. He was up again immediately, and turned to face the demon, growling in rage. The demon hissed. "Metal Wolf Claw!" MetalGarurumon bellowed. The demon dodged the attack with ease, and its massive jaws caught the giant wolf around the middle, crushing, MetalGarurumon roaring in pain. "Electro-Shocker!" "Needle Spray!" The attacks sped toward the menacing demon- but as they did so, it turned with lightning speed, throwing MetalGarurumon into the attacks. MetalGarurumon slammed up against the wall, and fell, unconscious, digivolving back into Gabumon. The Demon Hunter turned toward the other Digi-Destined, a look of demonic rage apparent on its face.  
  
"Agumon, you've got to help them!" Tai shouted, no longer caring whether the demon noticed them or not. "I can't, Tai!" Agumon said. "I can't risk losing myself and becoming something worse than that thing is!"  
  
"Needle Spray!" "Electro-Shocker!" The Demon Hunter swatted the attacks aside scornfully. In a single flash of razor-sharp teeth, the nightmare creature flung Kabuterimon and Togemon aside and charged at the Digi- Destined. "Agumon!" Tai yelled. "No, Tai! I can't!" Agumon shouted back. And then, impossibly, Andromon was there. Interposing himself between the demon and the Digi-Destined, he locked arms with the Demon Hunter, the other hissing furiously as his prey was denied him. One arm hanging mangled and useless at his side, Andromon still fought to keep the demon away from his intended victims. The demon locked his arms about Andromon, muscles rippling under its dark skin. "Gatling Attack!" Andromon yelled. The powerful attack didn't even seem to faze the enraged demon. Instead, its arms tightened around the stricken Andromon, wrapping him in a crushing grip. Andromon stiffened and threw back his head. Something inside him broke with an audible series of snaps. "Agumon!" Tai yelled. "Digivolve now, or we are all dead!" Seeing his partner still reluctant to make a move, Tai drew forth a long, slender knife. "What are you doing, Tai?" Agumon asked, incredulous. "I'm making a difference the only way I still can," Tai answered, charging at the Demon Hunter, the knife held at ready. The demon turned in surprise as the knife penetrated the dark flesh of its back. Snarling with rage, it turned on Tai- but one of its clawed forelimbs snagged on a pile of debris, and it fell to the ground. Instantly, Andromon broke free. A dark liquid ran from his mouth and nose, and his joints looked to have come loose from their pinnings. Yet he did not seem to feel his injuries. He attacked anew, hammering into the demon with both fists and knocking it backward toward the open window. As the Demon Hunter reeled away, Andromon catapulted into it with a ferocious charge that carried both combatants into the steel-rimmed opening. Stone and mortar gave way beneath their combined weight, and iron bolts broke loose. The window frame and part of the surrounding wall shattered. Then Andromon locked himself about the demon, drove it through the opening, and both creatures tumbled out into the night. A ferocious growling and tearing sound tore loose outside, and then, suddenly, all was silent. Then the Demon Hunter crept back into the opening in the wall. Andromon was nowhere to be seen. Tai lunged at the nightmare creature, brandishing the knife, screaming with rage. The demon hurled itself under the gleaming blade, jaws closing on the hand that wielded it. Bones crunched and muscles tore, and Tai screamed in pain. The demon knocked the boy back against the wall, the knife skittering off into the darkness. It prepared to rip out Tai's throat while he still stared at his ruined hand. I've got to stop this, Agumon thought silently. I've got to help Tai. whatever the cost. The Demon Hunter's arm tensed, preparing to strike the killing blow. Tai cringed backward in terror. Suddenly, an intense white light enveloped Agumon, and he began to change.  
  
"Agumon warp-digivolve to. WarGreymon!"  
  
The Demon Hunter turned away from Tai to meet this new threat. "Terra Force!" WarGreymon cried, the blast sending the demon hammering up against the wall. It was up again almost immediately. "Mega Claw!" WarGreymon roared. The Demon Hunter countered with a series of clawed attacks of his own. They fought for what seemed like hours, neither gaining the upper hand. But finally, WarGreymon saw an opening. "Nova Force!" he shouted. Accelerating his body to fantastic velocities, WarGreymon passed straight through the body of the Demon Hunter, leaving a gaping hole he knew not even the most ferocious of enemies could survive. But impossibly, the demon began to turn, hissing his fury at the enemy that had proved so challenging. And then the demon began to fall. Slowly, as if still not willing to give in, the demon fell to its knees, and then continued forward, until it was stretched full-length upon the carpet. With a last defiant hiss, life departed from the Demon Hunter. Its breath ceased to flow, and the dark red eyes flickered and went out at last. WarGreymon shrank, digivolving back into Agumon, and the Digi-Destined let out a collective sigh of relief. Gennai stepped into the room behind Tai. "What happened here?" he whispered. The body of the demon and the looks of horror on the faces of the Digi-Destined told him everything. "A Demon Hunter." he breathed. "You know what it is, then!" Davis exclaimed. "Please, tell us," Mimi said.  
  
"Long ago, when the Digital World was still forming, an ancient tribe of humans lived on File Island," Gennai began. "The world was hard and unforgiving on these humans. Savage Digimon attacked at every turn. Villages were destroyed, and many lives were lost. The wisest people of the land gathered in council to protect their people in this time of strife and suffering. Around the same time, no one knows exactly when, the Demons arose. The demons were a misshapen, hideous people whose sole purpose in life was that of service; to man, their creator. They were created out of harsh purpose and desperate need, in a time when such things were necessary.  
  
"And so they served, for a time, at least. They drove back the hordes of savage Digimon, and the humans were for the first time able to make a decent living for themselves. But then the demons began to get out of control. They began attacking the very people they had once served, destroying homes, anything to fuel their terrible, instinctive need to kill. The High Council saw what was happening, and ordered the demons destroyed. But they were too late. The Demon Hunters, you see, were the most powerful, the most deadly of the creatures the humans had created. A band of them broke through one fatal night, and by morning nothing was left of the humans of File Island. A Demon Hunter, when it attacks, is unstoppable. It is a match for anything alive. Nothing is more dangerous- nothing," Gennai said. "The Warlock Lord must be very powerful indeed to have gained control over one of the few such creatures left alive in the Digital World." "After what I saw tonight, I'm not sure even the Dark Lord could have controlled something so powerful," Izzy said. "The use of this creature implies the hand of something greater, something infinitely darker and more vast."  
  
"That may be," said Gennai, "But the Warlock Lord is the most important thing that concerns us right now. I've been receiving strange reports about the Dark Lord's building a base near the North Pole. The reports are as disturbing as they are incomplete. I've even heard rumors about a hidden breeder reactor being used to generate material for nuclear weapons. The thing is, none of these reports are solid, verifiable facts. I'm going to need you to go to the location of the hidden base and check it out- that, at least, we do know."  
  
"Great!" said Davis. "Let's get going, right away!" "Not so fast, Davis," Sora said wearily. "Let's leave tomorrow. All of us need a good night's sleep, especially the Digimon." Everyone with the exception of Davis heartily agreed, and they all went back to sleep.  
  
Meanwhile, Cyannomon keyed in the access code for the Warlock Lord's hidden polar base. He walked stealthily to avoid being detected. His four hooves moved almost noiselessly over the steel flooring, while the hands of his humanoid upper body felt along the walls, probing for the mechanism that would open the control room. There! As Cyannomon touched the hidden lever, what looked like a part of the wall slid noiselessly aside to reveal a glassed-in room with rows of electronics.  
  
It was late at night, and only a single Techmon monitored the silent room, adjusting the controls minutely so that the base would continue to run smoothly. Techmon turned as Cyannomon entered, and squeaked loudly at the sight, Cyannomon's dark blue face tense with anger. Moving forward quickly, Cyannomon lifted Techmon off the ground with a single, heavily muscled forearm. His wintry blue eyes narrowed, their frigid gaze penetrating the tiny Techmon as it squeaked in terror. "Take me to the breeder reactor," Cyannomon growled in a barely audible voice. He dropped Techmon roughly to the ground, and followed as the other scurried, panicked, for what Cyannomon hoped was the reactor core.  
  
He blinked with surprised satisfaction as Techmon turned a corner, leading Cyannomon directly to the reactor control center. Cyannomon surveyed the narrow room. It had an airlock system of the same type used on spacecraft. In order for one door to open, the other door had to be completely closed. The room was surrounded by bulletproof glass, and looked directly in on the breeder reactor itself. In the center of the room was a series of controls, which Cyannomon supposed controlled the waldos, the giant mechanical arms that handled the dangerous radioactive fuel rods.  
  
But the controls were designed for the Techmon, who had many more digits on each hand than did Cyannomon. Cyannomon gestured to the Techmon. "Remove the fuel rods from the reactor!" he commanded. Techmon meekly obeyed. Using the waldos, he carefully extracted one fuel rod after another, moving them to a bright yellow carrying case on the opposite side of the room, knowing that even one slip could cause a catastrophic chain reaction that would destroy the entire base. Finally, as the last rod slid into the fuel case, Techmon used one of the giant mechanical hands to close the heavy lead carrying case, and deposited it in a bay near the door designed for exactly that purpose.  
  
Cyannomon retrieved the case, and headed for the door- when the airlock hissed open of its own accord to reveal the Dark Lord himself. A single blast of light from the Warlock Lord's outstretched hand eliminated Techmon, his terrified shrieks dying into silence. Cyannomon stared at him coldly. "Cyannomon," the Warlock Lord hissed, "Just what do you think you are doing?" One glance told the Dark Lord everything, and as he raised an arm to attack, Cyannomon charged. "Crystal Beam!" he shouted, the brilliant blast of light blinding the Dark Lord for a few crucial seconds. Wheeling about in rage, the Dark Lord sped after Cyannomon as he ran, already shifting forms subtly beneath his black robes. "Crimson Lighting!" the Dark Lord bellowed, sending Cyannomon tumbling to the ground, the lead carrying case with its precious fuel rods flying out of reach. "Crystal Beam!" Cyannomon cried. "Nightmare Claw!" the Warlock Lord returned, the attack powering through Cyannomon's blast. I've failed, Cyannomon thought as he slipped into inky blackness. The Warlock Lord surveyed Cyannomon's inert form with a look of contempt. "Throw him into the dungeons," the Dark Lord commanded, with a casual wave to the minions who followed behind him. "I'll deal with him later."  
  
HerculesKabuterimon flew rapidly over the blue-green ocean of the Digital World, his wings a blur as they fought to keep the Digi-Destined aloft. Davis sat near the front, his hair flying in the wind. "Hey, this is fun!" he yelled. "Izzy, what's wrong?" Izzy sat centered on HerculesKabuterimon's wide back a greenish sort of color on his face. "I think I'm airsick," he mumbled, crawling half a dozen feet to vomit over the side. Icebergs had begun to appear in the sea-green waters below them, and small islands to dot the surface. "I think we're nearly there!" Mimi called, her long hair whipping about in the strong wind.  
  
Suddenly, a trail of fire and smoke flashed across Tai's field of vision as a large surface-to-air missile barely missed HerculesKabuterimon. "Yep, I think that proves it," Joe said, his knees shaking with fear. "HerculesKabuterimon! Take us down!" Izzy called. HerculesKabuterimon banked down through the clouds, barely avoiding being hit by another missile. As he came in for a landing, he digivolved back into Tentomon to conserve energy.  
  
The soft, white powder of newly fallen snow crunched beneath the feet of the Digi-Destined as they made their way inland, Joe shivering because, instead of actually bothering to change his clothes, he'd kept the same ones on that (as far as I know) he'd been wearing since the first episode of Season 1. The other Digi-Destined were similarly clothed. "Hey," Tai complained, "Why don't those idiot writers get a life and let us change clothes once in a while?" "I know," said Sora. "We all must smell pretty terrible by now." "We're Digimon!" chirped the Digimon. "We don't need clothes!" The Digi-Destined shivered. "What exactly was the point of this scene?" Davis asked. Everyone ignored him. "The snow's getting thicker," Izzy said after a while.  
  
The snow was indeed getting thicker, and within a short time had turned into a veritable blizzard. "Ouch!" Joe yelled, tripping on something that was buried in the snow. "Joe!" Mimi cried, stopping to assist him. "I'm okay," Joe assured her as he climbed unsteadily to his feet. "Hey, where'd everyone else go?" They scanned the curtain of white for several minutes in vain. Then they stared at each other in horror as they realized that they were hopelessly lost.  
  
"This snow's getting way too thick!" Davis yelled, trying desperately to be heard above the roaring of the wind. "Davis is right!" Izzy shouted. "I can barely see three feet in front of me. I can't even see Joe and Mimi!" "Where are Joe and Mimi?" Sora asked. A deathly silence fell on the Digi- Destined as each in turn looked fruitlessly about for their lost comrades. "There's nothing we can do about it now," said Tai at last, breaking the silence. "We can only hope they'll find their own way. Izzy, do you still have that rope?"  
  
"Yes," Izzy said, "But I don't see what good that's going to do us." "Let's bind ourselves together," Tai suggested. "That way, none of us will get lost." After doing so, the Digi-Destined set out into the snow. It wasn't long before Tai stumbled into something set into the ice. He felt slowly around it. It was. a wall!" Tai rubbed his head where it had been bruised by the hard steel. "Guys," he said quietly, "I think we've just found the Warlock Lord's base." "Time to step it up!" Davis called. As one, the seven digivices began to glow.  
  
"Agumon warp-digivolve to. WarGreymon!"  
  
"Veemon digivolve to. ExVeemon!"  
  
"Biyomon digivolve to. Birdramon!"  
  
"Patamon digivolve to. Angemon!"  
  
"Gatomon digivolve to. Angewomon!  
  
"Tentomon digivolve to. Kabuterimon!"  
  
"Gabumon warp-digivolve to. MetalGarurumon!"  
  
The white light dissipated, and the seven newly digivolved Digimon stared menacingly at the tower in front of them. "Just how do we get into this thing, anyway?" Davis asked. "Who cares?" Tai said. "WarGreymon!" WarGreymon didn't need any encouragement. "Terra Force!" he bellowed. The steel wall crashed inward.  
  
Joe and Mimi struggled on, shivering, through the snow and icy wind. "I wish there was some way to get warm," Mimi said, walking close beside Joe with her arm around him for warmth. Joe fervently tried to believe it was for another purpose, but, as usual, failed miserably. He stared longingly at Mimi's long, golden hair, imagining what it would feel like, nestled warm and close against his skin. He realized he was staring, and looked away quickly, blushing. "Look!" Mimi cried suddenly. "There! A cave!" "Maybe we can shelter there until the storm passes," Joe said. "Palmon, Gomamon- come on!" The four rushed quickly for the shelter of the cave, their only care to get warm as quickly as possible- and that was their mistake. For as they huddled down in the warm, moist darkness of the cavern, Joe made out a pair of bright, yellow eyes staring at them from out of the gloom.  
  
Three Shogunmon stood guarding the entrance to the Warlock Lord's underground polar base. The changing of the guard was close at hand. "Terra Force!" came a muffled roar from the other side of the thick steel wall. Suddenly, the wall came bursting inward in a swirling maelstrom of explosions, and WarGreymon stood framed against the fire like an avenging angel. The one surviving Shogunmon began to run, and suddenly from within the base the Digi-Destined heard the sound of alarms shrieking. "What now?" Matt yelled, trying to be heard over the sound of the alarms. Tai decided quickly.  
  
"We don't have any time!" he shouted. "T.K., Kari, and Davis will go find out what the Warlock Lord is hiding in this base. The rest of us will stay here as a diversion. Let's do it!!!" The group exploded into action. A squadron of Mekanorimon rushed to block the path of the Digi-Destined- only to be met by the intimidating figure of WarGreymon. "Mega Claw!" he roared, eliminating the Mekanorimon. Meanwhile, T.K., Kari, Davis, and their Digimon ran down a separate corridor. "Where do you think the Warlock Lord keeps whatever he's hiding?" T.K. panted as he ran. "Whatever it is has got to be deeper inside the base." Kari said.  
  
"Hey, what's behind his door?" Davis asked, pointing to a large metallic door marked 'Keep Out' set into the wall. Without waiting for an answer, he yanked it open- and quickly shut it again as he came face-to-face with a towering, shaggy monster. The door crashed open. "What is THAT?" T.K. asked in horror as the beast let out an ear-splitting bellow. "It's Yetimon!" said ExVeemon. "He's very powerful!" "Ice Blaster!" Yetimon roared.  
  
Meanwhile Tai, Izzy, Matt, and Sora found themselves at the heart of an increasingly intense firefight. Two Shogunmon stood in their way as they ran recklessly down a narrow corridor. "Meteor Wing!" "Electro-Shocker!" "Metal Wolf Claw!" The Shogunmon just. disappeared. The sounds of pursuit grew closer behind them. A dozen Bakemon appeared ahead. "Terra Force!" WarGreymon roared. The attack took out the Bakemon- and the section of reinforced steel wall that stood behind them. "These guys just don't quit!" Tai panted as he ran. "I know!" Matt said. "But every fight they draw us into, every battle, however small, lets them get a little closer." He pointed to the mob of enraged Digimon that surged less than fifty feet behind the Digi-Destined. The Digi-Destined kept running. Suddenly, the corridor they were running down came to an abrupt end. "We're trapped!" Izzy cried. The horde of Digimon grew closer. Suddenly, the ranks of enemy Digimon parted, and out of their midst stepped. "The Warlock Lord," breathed Sora. "Spiral Cannon!" he bellowed, extending a single, bony white hand from his robes. A stream of deadly red laser beams transfixed WarGreymon. With a cry of pain, he digivolved back into Agumon, unconscious. "What do we do now?" Tai asked, desperate. "I'm getting out of here!" Matt shouted. He climbed astride MetalGarurumon, and abruptly the two bounded past the Warlock Lord and into an adjoining corridor. "Matt!" Tai cried. The Dark Lord whirled about in fury. "The rest of you, after them!" the Warlock Lord said, gesturing to the Digimon that stood clustered behind him. "I'll take care of these three." "Electro-Shocker!" "Meteor Wing!" The Warlock Lord flung the attacks aside with contemptuous ease. "Voice of Darkness!" he roared. "My energy." Kabuterimon groaned, "It's. being drained." Abruptly, the two Digimon fell to the ground stunned, reverting to their Rookie forms. The Dark Lord laughed coldly. Suddenly, a strange, light blue, four-legged creature galloped to the Warlock Lord's side. "Cobalt Blast!" he bellowed, a beam of bright blue light striking the Digi-Destined.  
  
Joe and Mimi shrank back in fear as the pair of gleaming yellow eyes stalked toward them. As their eyes adjusted to the dim gray light of the cavern, they saw a strange, feline, yellow-and-black striped creature bearing down on them. "A Strikemon!" Palmon exclaimed. "I've heard of them! They live only in mountain caverns in the far North." "Let's get out of here!" Joe shouted. With a bellow of rage, Strikemon pounced. As one, the two Digivices began to glow.  
  
"Palmon digivolve to. Togemon!"  
  
"Gomamon digivolve to. Ikkakumon!"  
  
"Twin Fang!" Strikemon yelled, launching itself at Joe and Mimi. "Needle Spray!" "Harpoon Torpedo!" The attacks knocked Strikemon far back into the cave, where he came to his feet, growling with fury. "Let's get out of here while we have the chance!" Joe cried. Climbing astride Togemon and Ikkakumon, the two set out once again into the blinding snow.  
  
Astride MetalGarurumon, Matt glanced back at the horde of enemy Digimon that was pursuing him. "Faster, MetalGarurumon!" he urged. Ahead there was a fork in the corridor. Left, or straight? "Let's go left!" Matt decided. MetalGarurumon abruptly skidded to a halt as they found themselves confronted by a dark, sinister form cloaked all in black. "How'd he get here so fast?" Matt yelled as the Dark Lord raised an arm to attack. MetalGarurumon spun around and took the right hand fork, the other Digimon close in pursuit. "MetalGarurumon!" he cried. "Aim an attack up at the ceiling!" "Metal Wolf Claw!" MetalGarurumon howled. Tons of steel and earth and ice collapsed behind Matt and MetalGarurumon, effectively halting pursuit from that direction. Unopposed, MetalGarurumon continued his flight through the hidden polar base of the Warlock Lord.  
  
Kari, T.K, and Davis ran down yet another seemingly endless steel corridor, searching for the secret they knew must be hidden in the Dark Lord's base. "This way looks like it leads deeper into the base!" T.K. said as the three ran down a side corridor opening off of what was apparently a main thoroughfare. "Hey, guys!" Davis said urgently. "I think we've got trouble!" The three Digi-Destined turned to see a group of strange, humanoid figures in bright red suits. "ExVeemon, digivolve!" Davis shouted. ExVeemon did absolutely nothing other than look at Davis strangely. Then Davis realized: "Oh, my gosh! I forgot, you can't digivolve! All you can do is stay as a wimpy champion form! Man!" "What a clutz," T.K. muttered.  
  
Meanwhile, Tai, Sora, and Izzy returned to consciousness in what was almost certainly a prison. "Where are we?" Tai groaned, attempting to sit up despite the throbbing pain in his head. "We are in the dungeons of the Warlock Lord," a voice to Tai's left said. Tai tried to focus. The speaker was a Digimon; large, four-legged, and blue-skinned, with icy cold eyes that seemed to pierce to Tai's very soul. "Hey, you're the guy that attacked us!" Tai shouted. "No," the strange Digimon said, "The one who attacked you was Cobaltmon. I am his twin brother, Cyannomon. We are both products of what you would call genetic engineering." Izzy started at this, having just regained consciousness himself. "However, I grew disillusioned with the Dark Lord's plans for the Digital World," Cyannomon continued, "and while my twin brother continues to serve the Warlock Lord, I am imprisoned for a revenge that I undertook but failed to accomplish." Cyannomon suddenly fell silent at the sound of someone's approach. Sora tensed, prepared to try and escape if the chance presented itself. She heard the jingle of keys being fitted in the lock. "Miss me?" said Matt as he and MetalGarurumon entered the cell. "Matt!" cried Izzy. "Let's get out of here!" said Tai. The four Digi-Destined and Cyannomon raced down the narrow corridor. "The Warlock Lord has built a nuclear reactor within the base," Cyannomon said as they ran. Izzy's eyes went wide. "He plans to create nuclear warheads and use them to force the submission of the Digi- Destined and the resistance movement!" "We've got to destroy it!" Tai gasped. "No!" Cyannomon said. "If it is destroyed, the incredible heat from the explosion would melt the icecap and flood the Digital World- not to mention destroying all of us in the process." "What do we do, then?" Sora asked. "Follow me," Cyannomon replied.  
  
Joe and Mimi staggered on through the snow and ice, oblivious to almost everything but the incredible cold. Suddenly, just as Joe felt he couldn't go any further, he stumbled into what felt like a steel wall. "This way!" he called, beckoning to the others. The snow had come almost to a complete stop. The horrific blizzard conditions of before had changed, and now they looked out upon a frozen wonderland; miles and miles of a seemingly never-ending carpet of pure white. And yet, Joe realized, it made them all too easily to find. The footprints they'd left from their long hike stretched backward for miles, a plain enough trail for anyone to see. They followed the wall for a time, until they came to a sharp bend that opened out on a courtyard of sorts. Two strange, humanoid figures in bright red suits stood guard. As one of them turned, Joe caught a glimpse of the crimson, fiery red face behind the clear fiberglass mask. Meramon in high- tech snowsuits? Joe wondered. Suddenly the two Meramon caught sight of the intruders. As one, they turned and began walking toward them. "Look out!" Mimi called. "Here they come!" Suddenly, hidden attitude jets attached to the Meramons' boots ignited, and with an ability that seemed effortless, they were aloft. The high-tech suits clearly did more than simply insulate the Meramon from the cold weather. "Fire Punch!" they called as one, looking like flaming phoenixes as they streaked toward the earth. Just before they hit the ground, they leveled out, slamming into Togemon and Ikkakumon with devastating effect. The two already exhausted Digimon fell to the ground where they lay, motionless. The two Meramon came to rest before Joe and Mimi, their arms locked as if ready to attack. "What are we going to do?" Joe shouted desperately. Suddenly, an earsplitting roar erupted in the distance. "Nuclear Laser!" the unseen attacker bellowed. Twin beams of iridescent blue light transfixed the two Meramon, puncturing their suits. Their face masks immediately clouded up, and the Meramon fell to the ground. Meanwhile, the mysterious attacker came into view. "It's MetalTyrannomon!" Mimi screamed. "Run!" Joe shouted. The two ran, blind with panic, into the open courtyard they'd glimpsed earlier. Togemon and Ikkakumon climbed painfully to their feet and followed. Suddenly, a hidden Gatling laser mount rotate out of the wall. Its barrels spinning up rapidly, it prepared to fire. Oblivious to their danger, the Digi-Destined continued to run blindly forward. With a primal growl of fury, MetalTyrannomon leapt headlong between the laser mount and the Digi- Destined, the intense beams of light deflecting off his heavy armor plating. Joe and Mimi looked back, wide-eyed. "We are now in the laser free- fire zone," MetalTyrannomon rumbled. "This is the most direct approach to the reactor, and also the most heavily guarded. Stay behind me; let's go!" "Is he on our side now?" Mimi asked, astonished. "Beats me," Joe said, "but we'd better follow him, anyway." With MetalTyrannomon in the lead, Joe, Mimi, Togemon, and Ikkakumon started forward toward the Dark Lord's base.  
  
Meanwhile, Kari, T.K., and Davis were also having trouble with the red-suited Meramon. "Heat Tackle!" a group of them cried, using the thrusters attached to their boots to ram the three defending Digimon. "V- Laser!" ExVeemon shouted back. The Meramon were packed so tightly into the corridor he couldn't miss. Shouts of pain were heard as the Meramon crashed into a wall, dazed. "Let's go!" Kari cried. Without looking back, the Digi- Destined raced down a side corridor. Suddenly, the corridor they were running down opened into a large, cavernous room hollowed out of the ice, with a dim, soft blue light illuminating the area. A distant hum reverberated throughout the room, and as T.K. looked about for the source, his eyes fell on a gigantic, cylindrical column at the far end of the room, surrounded by Techmon busily working on computer consoles. "What's that?" asked Davis in awe, realizing that the huge machine was the source of the vibrations that filled the room ahead. "I think," said T.K., "that this is what we've come to find.  
  
Tai, Sora, Matt, Izzy, and Cyannomon turned left down a short corridor that ended in what looked like a spaceship's airlock. "This is it," Cyannomon said. "The breeder reactor." He rapidly keyed in a code sequence that caused the airlock door to hiss open, revealing a large, open room that looked directly in on a huge, cylindrical piece of machinery that extended from the floor to the ceiling high above. The machine was surrounded by giant columns of solid ice that looked to be embedded in the ground. Tai started as one of the columns suddenly began to move. "Ice Meramon," Cyannomon said quietly. "The Warlock Lord relies on them to protect the reactor. They're very powerful." "Well, what are we waiting for?" Tai demanded. "Let's take them out!" "Crystal Beam!" Cyannomon cried.  
  
As Davis, Kari, and T.K. gazed in at the reactor core, a blinding flash lit the area, and the sound of an explosion echoed from the left. The servants of the Dark Lord immediately rushed toward the sound. "The others must have found a way through!" Davis shouted. "Let's go!" Followed by their Digimon, T.K., Kari, and Davis charged into the battle. 


	6. Part 5: The Price Of Freedom

The Crest Of Courage

**Part V: The Price Of Freedom**

Far away from the Digital World; far away, in a sense, from the real world, a young girl sat wide awake in bed. A strange greenish glow emanated from a drawer in the desk near her computer. _What _is _that? _she wondered. Hesitantly, fearfully, she slid the covers back and walked slowly toward the strange glow. Briefly, she hesitated before opening the desk drawer. Whatever was inside that drawer had such a strange aura- and it somehow didn't feel quite _right _to her. 

With a shrug, Sakura threw all caution aside. Her life, after all, had been nothing _but _chaos and confusion from the time she could remember anything at all- what, then, was one thing more? Sakura lived in one of the few largely whole structures in what was left of Tokyo, Japan. Shortly after she had been born, strange creatures from another world had emerged from a dark gateway near a place called Highton View Terrace. They began to wage mindless, senseless destruction on the city. 

One of their first acts had been to raze Highton View Terrace itself to the ground. Nothing lived there, and nothing could grow there. It was, for all intents and purposes, a desert- a terrible wasteland in the middle of Japan where, because of the tremendous, deadly levels of radiation in the area, nothing could survive. Sakura vaguely remembered fleeing from Odaiba as an army of strange, burning humanoid creatures marched through the streets, destroying everything in site in one titanic, blazing inferno. 

It was a boy; an older boy, she remembered- he was actually _riding _one of the creatures, a giant metallic wolf. He was the only reason she and her parents had survived the massacre at Odaiba- shortly thereafter, the city was decimated in a blitz of nuclear missiles as the Japanese military desperately tried to neutralize the threat of the invaders once and for all. But of course, the invaders seemed limitless. 

Humans and monsters had fought what became known as the Great Wars- a series of battles that the humans, to a large extent, had lost. United under a leader known only as the Warlock Lord, the monsters had left Japan a broken, subjugated country where any remaining humans served as slaves to the armies of the Dark Lord- and then proceeded to wage war against the other nations of Earth. 

The entire continent of South America was virtually uninhabitable- its jungles were so full of dangerous natural predators that, rather than waste valuable time and lives on them, the Warlock Lord had simply eliminated them using stolen nuclear technology from Pakistan, India, and Russia. Even the United States was merely a shadow of its former self, it's economy on the verge of collapse and its troops all but exhausted in the battle against the invaders. Europe and Africa remained, for the most part, untouched- but it was only a matter of time. Even now, the invaders swarmed, unstoppable, over the plains of Central Asia, and a few had been spotted as far south as the Mediterranean. 

There had been rumors of a power even stronger than that of the Warlock Lord, a power vast beyond belief- and more twisted, more evil than the Dark Lord himself. Except for the small, scattered bands of resistance fighters, Sakura couldn't help but feel that this was indeed the end: that the entire Earth should fall to the darkness, that humans would, one by one, fall prey to the creatures of evil that had already practically destroyed the world. Sakura picked up the two glowing objects. Each in turn flared briefly at her touch, and then grew still and dark. It made her wonder if they were in fact meant for her at all. As she hung the long chain to which the smaller of the two was attached about her neck, it began to glow again- to burn against her chest with a growing, swirling internal fire. Sakura felt a deep sense of unease creep through her- was it trying to warn her about something? 

Unbeknownst to Sakura, a pair of feral red eyes made their way slowly up the front walk. Paws of stealth padded noiselessly along the broken concrete, the creature so fixated on its target that it completely ignored the world about it. The neighbors might have voiced a warning- but what few of them actually saw the nightmare beast quickly ducked their heads back inside and prayed the monster hadn't seen them. Its claws slipped out of their sheaths in anticipation of the kill. It had sensed a type of energy unknown to Earth for decades- an energy source that had originated in the Digital World. That could mean only one thing- a return of the Digi-Destined. And that was one thing the beast, and its master, would do anything to prevent. With a snarl of anticipation, the beast leapt at the heavy oaken door.

Sakura stared at the two glowing objects, torn by indecision. _Is this right? What exactly am I getting into? _she wondered. Even as the crest continued to burn against her skin, a subtle feeling of horror, of _wrongness _that Sakura found hard to explain began to seep through her body. _Something's not right here_... she thought. Suddenly, a muffled crashing sound came somewhere below and to the right of her- the front door. _They're here_, Sakura thought. _Then I have no choice_. All indecision eliminated by the sudden attack, Sakura slipped the digivice into a pocket. Quickly, silently, she began to undo the window locks.

The monster padded stealthily into the entrance hall. It hadn't been in a true human household for so long… where had the mysterious radiation come from? It had the luxury of time, it decided. After all, it was one of the most powerful beings in the Digital World, a match for even a Mega Digimon like the old Digi-Destined had once had. Those had been exciting times- when the island the humans called Japan remained untaken by the Warlock Lord, and there had been plenty of Digimon that were worthy opponents to battle. But then they had all gradually disappeared... Killing humans was far too easy, and the only thing the beast lived for was the fight; the test of skill and cunning against strength and speed, the match of logic versus instinct. The nightmare creature had all of these, and it had emerged the undisputed master of all that had dared to challenge it. Perhaps a new challenge such as had existed in the old days awaited somewhere in the human dwelling…

The first of the doors on the second story burst inward. Sakura shivered. Whatever it was, it was immensely powerful- and it was after her. Somehow, Sakura knew this beyond a doubt- and the beast grew ever closer. Door after door splintered under its assault as it relentlessly made its way toward Sakura, checking each room along the way to be sure that none escaped. _There_, Sakura thought. The last of the locks had been undone, and all that required doing was the deactivation of the Digital Barrier that warded the window. Sakura raised a hand to depress the Emergency Off button when the doorway suddenly exploded into the room. The beast snarled with instinctual rage. Sakura gasped in shock. What stood in the ruins of the collapsed doorway was a beast so hideous Sakura almost couldn't bear to look. It was a four-legged creature, a monster, a predator like nothing she'd ever seen. _The legends are true, then,_ she thought. _A Demon Hunter. _

The demon took its time. With, slow, mincing, deliberate steps, it stalked its way toward Sakura. _It's playing with me, she realized. __It knows there's no way I can stop it. __Unless… Quickly, Sakura bent over the keyboard. With a few swift, unhesitating keystrokes, she changed a single setting on a small menu in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. It was enough. The massive beast realized what she was doing and leapt to stop her- but it was already too late. "Digital Barrier- activate!" Sakura shouted. The complex electronic net that was woven subtly into the very walls of the house hummed to life. The monitor dimmed with the power required to keep the field operational. And the Digital Barrier snapped into position between Sakura and the Demon Hunter. _

The powerful electric field threw the huge monster across the room- but the electronic net hadn't been designed to repel the assault of a creature as powerful as the attacking monster, and it wavered uncertainly as more energy was drained. It clearly couldn't last much longer. The far wall of Sakura's bedroom collapsed as the heavy body of the demon hurtled into it. _Surely that would be enough to destroy it? Sakura thought. But as the dust from the impact settled, Sakura saw the Demon Hunter's bulk straining against the tons of steel-reinforced concrete that lay atop it. Slowly, slowly, the pile of rubble shifted. _

The hellhound's mad, gleaming yellow eyes held Sakura transfixed. But as it prepared to charge again, the device that Sakura had so thoughtlessly slipped into her pocket flared with sudden light- enough to block out the demon's gaze. Abruptly released from its entrancing spell, Sakura turned to the window, and leapt the two stories down to the ground. Momentarily dazed by the drop, Sakura shook herself mentally. The streets of Tokyo were unsafe at best, particularly so at night- but it was better by far to risk them than to remain where she was and suffer death at the hands of the hideous monster that lurked above. Shakily, Sakura climbed to her feet and started off into the night. Above and behind her, there was a sudden flash of sparks as the coruscating energy flow of the Digital Barrier ceased altogether- the demon had broken through! _That must be an incredibly strong creature, Sakura thought. __That Digital Barrier was supposed to have been able to withstand a Mega for longer than that! _

Sakura began to run. Behind her, the Demon Hunter hit the ground with an earthshaking _thud_. As Sakura glanced backward over her shoulder, she realized she had no hope of outrunning the monster- the beast was impossibly fast, and closing the distance between them at an alarming rate. She could hear it now on the broken concrete of the back road, almost feel the fetid warmth of its breath as it closed. _If I can just reach one of the shelters_, Sakura thought, _those places have Barriers that are supposed to withstand anything_. But she could already tell that it would be over long before then. Any second now, the demon would be on her…

"_Thunder Force_!" A blinding flash of electricity lashed out from the alley behind her, and the demon fell sideways with an enraged growl. Sakura looked wildly around for the source of the attack, and her eyes lit upon a small, dog-like creature with large, floppy ears and stunning blue eyes. It was… a Digimon. Confused, Sakura glanced first at the Demon Hunter, then at its strangely familiar attacker. _But I thought that all the Digimon were allied with the Darkness… Sakura thought. "I'm Cincomon!" the Digimon said. "There's not much time, we've got to get out of here!" __Anything's better than waiting around for that thing to wake up, Sakura decided. Even now, the demon grunted faintly, already stirring from its unconscious state. "Let's go!" Sakura shouted. And not a moment too soon. In seconds, the demon was after them. Sakura ran blindly ahead, with Cincomon at her side. Left, right, then left again… Sakura soon lost track of how many turns they'd taken, and where they were. __If we could just find one of the shelters! she thought in frustration as she glanced to the side at her newfound protector. Another left turn- and Sakura stopped in horror as she realized they'd reached a dead end. Quickly, she turned, hoping against hope that the Demon Hunter was far enough back that they could escape- but faster than thought, the menacing bulk of the demon blocked the opening, the feeble light from the street lamp disappearing. __Oh, no…_

Ken jumped stealthily from the stone awning onto the pavement below. The last of the Digi-Destined, or so he thought. _It's been twenty years since the rest of the Digi-Destined were murdered by the Warlock Lord, he thought. __Twenty years, and I could do nothing about the atrocities he and his Digimon army committed. __And now, today, all that is going to change. "Ken?" Wormmon said, as if sensing his discomfort. "It's… nothing, Wormmon," Ken said distractedly. "Listen; they're coming!" A resonant drumbeat had begun to fill the air. The first of the long train of slaves turned the corner. Heads lowered, arms shackled, and bound to one another like pack animals, the slaves shuffled in submission before their Digimon captors. _

_Geptamon, Ken thought in contempt. Geptamon were strong, man-sized reptiles that walked on their hind legs. Their natural armored hides tended to repel blaster bolts and most other assaults by man-made weaponry, and each had a long, serpentine neck with a hooded head like a cobra's. Worse still, their very skin was poisonous, and as Royal Guard they carried hand-held weapons that when used collectively were capable of leveling an entire city block- but they were still only Champion-level Digimon, and not much of a challenge to any true Digi-Destined. Still, they had incredibly cruel natures- as Ken watched, a Geptamon jabbed his captive in the back with a bayonet for no reason other than its own amusement. Its forked tongue flicked out from between its lips with pleasure. _

This final injustice was enough to make Ken want to end the evil creature's life then and there- but justice would have to wait. The mission came first. The Autocrat came into view. Once a relatively reasonable human being, after Japan's fall Antaeus had taken over as human dictator. Even though he had committed enough atrocities on his own to deserve death a thousand times over, he was merely a puppet for the true dictator, the one who would not be satisfied with less than the complete domination of Earth and the Digital World- and still, Ken waited. Finally, surrounded by his personal elite Royal Guardians, atop an enormous Mammothmon, _he came into view. King Etemon. Ken's face darkened with hatred at the sight of the one who had caused so much pain. _

At the moment of the Warlock Lord's greatest triumph, when he had paraded through the streets after the final conquest of Japan, MetalEtemon had appeared. A Digimon long thought dead, MetalEtemon had taken the Dark Lord by surprise, attacking from behind. MetalEtemon quickly snatched away the Dark Digivice and Crest of Shadows, which Ken knew were the secret behind the Warlock Lord's power. With that power taken away, he wasn't capable of shifting forms. It was still a long, drawn-out battle, but in the end surprise had paid off for MetalEtemon, and the Dark Lord was vanquished. 

For a while, the people had rejoiced- but when the dark energy from the Crest of Shadows mixed with MetalEtemon's own power, he digivolved into KingEtemon- a state that was, incredibly, even higher than Mega. But the dark energy had also turned Etemon cruel and evil beyond belief, and now he seemed to enjoy nothing more than causing pain and anguish in whoever he came into contact with. Even King Etemon's own troops became subject to his own particular brand of punishment. And none had dared to resist him- until today. Ken caught a glimpse of King Etemon's face behind his swirling robes of scarlet. The crown on his head tilted backward as his jaw opened wide with what appeared to be laughter- Ken couldn't tell over the noise of the parade. But as he came closer, it was plain to see- King Etemon was actually laughing at the misery of his human captives! Ken's face clouded over with the pent-up rage of years of anguish. "We've got to free those slaves," Ken said quietly, almost to himself. The time was right- King Etemon was almost to the entrance of the narrow alley. Almost... "Wormmon!" Ken shouted. "Let's go!" A bright white light began to fill the narrow alley...

"Wormmon warp-digivolve to... GranKuwagamon!"

            Meanwhile, King Etemon sat astride the enormous Mammothmon. It had been a long time since he had been able to enjoy himself in this manner- but since the suppression of the majority of the rebels and the capture of the Orion space-defense laser, he'd had nothing but time on his hands. A parade was just what he needed, he'd decided. And indeed, as a Geptamon savagely prodded his human captive with a bayonet, he found he really was enjoying himself. His natural voice sounding as if it were coming out of a loudspeaker, deep and resonant, King Etemon addressed the city. "Citizens of Tokyo," King Etemon began. "Your city lies before me- defenseless, incapable of resistance. In front of me are the pitiful remnants of human beings- the leaders of the so-called rebellion my army has crushed! Further resistance is pointless- for I am the most powerful Digimon in both worlds! He tilted his head back to laugh at the downtrodden remnants of human beings that cowered before the whips of the slavedrivers- but stopped in mid-laugh as a harsh white light flooded the street. 

He shielded his eyes from the glare until it had finally died down, to be replaced by- "WHAT?!" King Etemon's astonishment was audible. "You think you're the most powerful Digimon in the world?" Ken shouted as he stormed out of the alleyway. "Well, think again! GranKuwagamon!" GranKuwagamon needed no encouragement. A darker, more menacing version of HerculesKabuterimon, GranKuwagamon spread his enormous, vibrating insect wings and soared from the alley above Ken, like a dark angel rising for vengeance. Swathed in his crimson robes though he was, King Etemon could not help but show amazement. "Well, well..." he said at last. "A Digi-Destined. I thought they were all destroyed long ago... No matter." "Not this one!" Ken shouted. "And I will make sure you pay for what you have done to this world!" "I shall try to make this quick and painless," King Etemon said as if bored. "If you wish to surrender-"

GranKuwagamon didn't give him the chance to finish his sentence. "_Rapid Striker!" he roared. A blur of deadly red laser beams shot forth from GranKuwagamon's outstretched arms, and the Mammothmon beneath King Etemon went down in agony. King Etemon leapt lightly from atop the stricken Mammothmon, his robes a blur of scarlet as he drew forth a shining, double-bladed scimitar. "I'd say your aim was a little off, if you ask me," he said offhandedly. _

"Want some more?" Grankuwagamon growled. "_Rapid Striker_!" Once more the deadly red laser beams lanced forth, this time directly at King Etemon. "Now that's more like it!" King Etemon said, dissolving GranKuwagamon's attack with a single slash of his sword. The crowd that had begun to gather watched, spellbound. On one side was the young, determined Digi-Destined, whom all had thought lost- and on the other was the most powerful, ruthless tyrant the world had ever known. There was a collective groan as the dust from the blast cleared, and King Etemon emerged unharmed. He laughed mirthlessly. "Is that the best you can do?" he asked tauntingly. The huge green gemstone atop the scepter at his side began to glow with power. "_Scepter Blast!" he roared. A beam of wicked green light leapt from the scepter and struck GranKuwagamon full on. With a groan of pain he crashed back against the side of a building. __This doesn't look good, Ken thought grimly. _

As if to belie his thoughts, GranKuwagamon was up again almost immediately. Standing fully erect, arms crossed in front of him and every muscle in his body tensed to the max, GranKuwagamon prepared for his strongest attack. "_Pulse-Wave Blast_!" he shouted. A sonic boom shattered windows all along the street as the powerful faster-than-sound attack ripped into King Etemon. The scepter went flying out of his hands as he flew across the street into a stone column near the former Imperial Palace, which collapsed. Tons of concrete and rubble tumbled down to crush King Etemon- or so Ken thought. Laughing, King Etemon effortlessly tossed the column aside and climbed free of the debris, still holding his saber aloft. 

Meanwhile, a whirring sound at Ken's side told him the robots he'd summoned from his hidden lab had arrived. "Attack bots- free the slaves!" Ken whispered. The attack bots seemed to need no urging. High-powered disruptors lanced out of their metallic arms, eliminating most of the Geptamon outright. The few who survived were soon easily dispatched. 

The human slaves looked up in surprised gratitude as high-intensity cutting lasers freed them of their manacles. "Freedom..." one whispered in awe. "You don't have much time!" Ken shouted. "Get out of here!" As one, the emaciated captives began to run. King Etemon saw what was going on. Leaning past the imposing bulk of GranKuwagamon, he raised his free hand. "_Imperial Beam!" he shouted. A blast of violent blue light began to streak toward the fugitives- but faster than thought, GranKuwagamon leapt, interposing himself between the attack and the former slaves. The attack struck home, leaving visible damage on GranKuwagamon's iron-hard carapace. "Hang in there, GranKuwagamon!" Ken called, stepping over the body of a downed Geptamon to snatch up a high-powered blaster rifle. "We need to buy more time for the prisoners to escape!" _I don't know how much longer he can last_, he thought, as blast after blast struck GranKuwagamon._

            Meanwhile, in another part of the ruined city, another Digi-Destined looked up at the clear, cerulean blue sky, lost in thought. _I know you're out there somewhere, Sora_, he thought to himself. _Some day, somehow, I'm going to make him pay for what he did_. He remembered her sweet, sad smile on that last fateful day. She'd looked so beautiful to him at that moment- and the selfless act that had followed only served to immortalize her in his mind for all eternity.

            "_Matt,_" she'd said. The memory was almost too painful to bear. "_Matt, these people are counting on you to get them out. Don't sacrifice yourself to save us- we're finished._" _As she spoke those words, a cry of mortal pain echoed in the background as WarGreymon was struck down. His body jerked spasmodically as blast after blast of deadly red energy struck home.  Matt watched in shock as Diablomon laughed victoriously, WarGreymon's body beginning to break down as his life force was extinguished. The wicked dark red Digimon hissed in demonic glee, its forked tongue flicking out over its razor-sharp teeth. His yellow eyes gleaming in anticipation, Diablomon thrust his arm out toward the nearest building. The entire area ignited in one blazing, titanic inferno. _

_Tai staggered out of the blaze, his clothing singed and his skin badly burned. "__It's finished." __he gasped weakly. "__Matt, Sora- get out of here now!" "__You go nowhere, child!" __Diablomon said, extending one crooked yellow claw in Tai's direction. Faster than thought, a single, lethal red laser beam lanced toward Tai. Immolated by the fatal attack, Tai struggled to turn his head one last time toward the remaining Digi-Destined. "__The Digi-Destined are finished," __he gasped. "__Save yourselves- or no one will remain to stand against the darkness." __With those final words, Tai slumped to the ground, his eyes going blank as death finally came to the hero of Courage. Phoenixmon swooped down from the sky, coming to rest next to Sora. "_Matt,_" _Sora said. _"_If you hang around now, you'll all be lost._" _As she spoke, she gestured over her shoulder at the family that sat astride MetalGarurumon, who awaited only Matt's command to carry them all to safety. _"_We'll hold them off- get out of here now_!" _

            _"Sora," __he said, "__Wait- just wait." __She turned and glanced back at Matt, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "__Matt, honey. Save yourself- save them. Maybe some other time, some other life, we'll see each other again. I've always loved you, Matt. I'll always be with you." __With those words, Sora turned and ran at the dark, menacing beast in front of them, Phoenixmon at her side. "__Sora, no!" _A single blast of violent red light, and Phoenixmon fell from the sky. _"_I will wait for you in heaven!_" __Sora cried as she charged at Diablomon, drawing out a blaster. The monster swatted the weapon aside with ease. Diablomon unsheathed his claws. With a single thrust, he jabbed them deep into Sora's stomach and lifted her off the ground, high into the air. Blood flowed freely from the wound. Matt watched in horror as the life drained from her eyes. He thought he saw a final look of appeal there, as if she was crying out to him for rescue... or for vengeance. Then Diablomon released her, and her lifeless body crumpled to the ground. "__Come on, pretty boy," _Diablomon hissed. _"_If you would live up to the honor she has shown here, come and fight- or be shown for the pathetic coward you are._" Matt had run then, hating himself for it- but knowing there was no way he could triumph over the hideous monster that had murdered the rest of the Digi-Destined._

            And then the missiles had rained down from the heavens, and all of Odaiba disappeared in a final, fantastic explosion of terrible, cleansing flame. Matt and the family he was protecting had barely escaped that fiasco- only himself, a middle-aged man and a tiny baby girl had emerged from the ruins of the once-proud city. _She's so young, to have to endure such a tragedy,_ he'd thought, looking back at the wide-eyed baby girl as MetalGarurumon had spirited them away... So many battles they'd fought since then, since the time when they'd actually had a chance against the armies of darkness- Gabumon had actually become permanently digivolved into his Mega form. An explosion echoed somewhere off to the north. _So much misery, so much death have the people of this world endured_, Matt thought sadly, _and there's not anything we can do to stop it. _Suddenly a brilliant beam sliced through the sky overhead, the sonic boom of its wake almost rocking Matt off his feet. _Could it be?_ Matt wondered. _Could someone else actually be fighting against the darkness? He knew of only one Digimon that could use __that particular attack. And that meant... "Ken?" Matt wondered aloud. __I won't let this happen again. _I've got to help him before they _both_ get killed! _"MetalGarurumon!" Matt shouted. The giant wolf was instantly at his side. _And I've been standing here like a fool this whole time, doing nothing!_ he raged silently at himself. He leapt astride his Digimon partner. Without being told, MetalGarurumon seemed to know where Matt wanted to go. Snarling in fury, he set out at a flat run for the source of the battle. _This one's for you, Sora, _Matt thought, his mind a whirl of anger and pain and hate. At the moment, all he wanted to do was kill..._

Meanwhile a dark, sinister, wraithlike figure swathed in midnight black robes laughed coldly as he watched the blond hero disappear into the distance...

The Digital Portal closed with an angry _snap _like a whip's, leaving the Digi-Destined in total darkness. "Hey Davis, watch where you're landing!" Joe yelled angrily as someone fell from the spot where the portal had been directly onto Joe's head. "I'm not Davis- and besides, it's not my fault the Portal put me where it did!" Matt said. "Hey, where are we, anyway?" Tai asked. "Somewhere dark?" Mimi suggested helpfully. "I'm not sure," Izzy said thoughtfully. "But perhaps finding a light switch would help us out?" There was a frantic scrambling along the walls as Joe and Mimi groped for the lights (both being extremely afraid of the dark). 

After several loud crashes that were apparently from things falling off shelves, the lights abruptly snapped on. A mop had fallen on top of Joe's head, and he was in the midst of frantically trying to destroy it by beating it against the wall, when he realized what it was. "Oh," he said sheepishly as the others began to laugh. "I thought something had me." "It appears as if we're in some kind of storage closet," Izzy said. And so they were. Bottles of cleaner, brooms, and cleaning buckets lined the interior of the small room. "Well then, let's get out of here!" said Tai, impatient. "Hold it, Tai," Izzy said. "We don't know what could be out there." "But someone could come along and notice us any second!" Tai insisted. 

Tai's words proved correct as the door suddenly swung open of its own accord. A janitor in a blue work suit turned his head from calling to another passerby, and noticed the eight children. "Hey, what are you-" he started, but trailed off as he noticed Palmon trying unsuccessfully to hide behind the folds of Mimi's pink dress. "Digimon!" he shouted. Turning from the supply closet, he ran wildly down a side corridor bellowing something about "evil children and their monsters". After his footsteps had faded off down the hallway and the children had recovered from their surprise somewhat, they swung the door slowly shut again. "We'd better get out of here- that guy could come back with reinforcements any minute!" Tai exclaimed. "Well, he didn't seem to be much of a threat to me," Izzy said. "But for once, I think Tai's right. We don't know where, or even _when_, we are, and he seemed to recognize them well enough," he said, gesturing to the Digimon. "Come on, let's go." 

Slowly, the Digi-Destined eased open the door again to find that they were in a highly modern sort of observatory. The walls were metallic, and straight ahead of them glassed in, offering a panoramic view of lush, dense jungle that stretched further than the eye could see in all directions. "Well, that rules out Japan," Tai said forlornly. "Unless we've gone into the distant future, or another dimension altogether, that is," Izzy said. The sound of more than one set of running combat boots echoed from the corridor the janitor had run toward. The Digi-Destined swiftly ducked into a nearby hallway and began to run quickly down it. "Stop!" a male voice called from behind them. As if to accentuate his words, a heavy blaster bolt ricocheted off the wall less than a foot from Tai's head. The Digi-Destined skidded to a halt, turning to face the voice. A squad of black-clad troopers adorned with the symbol of the viper filled the corridor behind them. 

The man who was evidently their leader, by the manner of his bearing and by the many combat decorations he wore across his uniform, stepped forward from their midst. His manner was confidant- no, Sora corrected herself, _haughty_. His eyes were cold and gray, and his hair was jet black tinged with white that ran down his sharply defined jawline, ending in a small, pointed goatee that he twirled absentmindedly with his fingers as he strode toward the Digi-Destined, blaster in hand and aimed straight at Mimi's temple. He was taking no chances. 

"Well, well- what do we have here?" he asked, almost as if to himself. "Excuse me sir, but we're-" "Silence, boy!" Izzy's reply was cut short by the older man's snarl. "When I want you to talk, I'll tell you. Now..." the man's eyes roved among the group in a way Joe didn't like, as if he were assessing possible targets. "We have a standing order to eliminate any _Digimon_ and their accomplices outright, with no questions asked," the officer said, almost as if he were enjoying the prospect. "Let's start with you," he said, snatching Patamon cruelly off his perch on T.K.'s shoulder. "No! Patamon!" T.K. cried, tensing his muscles for a leap he knew would never be successful. Tai held up his digivice. 

Brilliant white light shone forth from the device... and nothing happened. Tai looked at the digivice in shock as the glow faded. "I don't know what you were planning to do with that thing- but you can be next." The officer smiled coldly, his gloved hands tightening on his weapon. The effect on the other troopers was somewhat the opposite, however. They all backed up nervously, and two even fainted outright. "Prepare to die, scum," the man before them sneered. His finger tightened on the trigger...... 

"Stop!" A rich, commanding voice echoed from behind the Digi-Destined. "Just what do you think you're doing, General Tao?" The man lowered his blaster slightly, but kept his hold on Patamon firm. The tiny Digimon, seeing no other avenue of escape, abruptly sank his sharp teeth viciously into the General's hand. With a sharp curse that made even Matt wince, General Tao opened his hand just enough to allow Patamon to escape. He flew rapidly toward T.K.- but Tao snatched him again before he could get there. "You little-" Tao leveled his blaster at Patamon. "General Tao, release that Digimon!" The voice came from the tall, commanding figure behind the Digi-Destined. Tao dropped Patamon for good this time, and holstered his blaster. "These children brought Digimon into the building! If you release them, the enemy will discover our location!" Tao said angrily. 

"I doubt these children and their Digimon pose any serious threat to our base," the other man said. Kari noticed that his uniform bore the symbol of the Rising Sun, rather than the insignia of the viper. "They are my responsibility now. I suggest you take your men and leave." General Tao glowered angrily at this, but nonetheless he turned on his heel and stalked angrily down the hall, taking his troopers with him. "Allow me to introduce myself," the other officer said when General Tao and his men had left. "My name is General Davis Miyamoto, and I am commander of this base. Please follow me." The General turned and started forward at a brisk pace, the Digi-Destined following. 

At the mention of Davis's name, Tai started visibly. "Where is Davis, anyhow?" he asked quietly. "There's no way to tell, I guess. The Digital Portal must have dropped him somewhere different than the rest of us, for some reason." Izzy said. "We'll just have to hope he can get by all right on his own." "Well, he _is _pretty annoying, but I hope nothing's happened to him," Tai said. None of the other Digi-Destined had noticed the sudden lack of whining, complaining, and general noise in the group before then, so no one had really thought about Davis. They stopped short as the other Davis approached a doorway set into the wall. Holding his palm up to a scanner near the entrance, General Miyamoto led the way into the room as the doors _swished _open. "This is my office," he said by way of explanation as the Digi-Destined entered and the door shut slowly behind them. "In here we can talk without disturbances. You are the Digi-Destined, correct?" 

Izzy's mouth dropped open. "But how did you know?" he asked. "My grandfather Gennai said you'd come. Most of his predictions were vague, and more than a little, well, strange- but they did seem to have an uncanny habit of coming true." "Your grandfather?" Izzy asked. "But that would mean-" "You've been transported twenty years into the future," the General said, cutting him off. "About two years after the battle with Myotismon, the Digi-Destined returned to Earth. There were rumors that their return wasn't of their own accord- that they were forced out of the Digital World by the Warlock Lord. By that time, his presence was as strong here as it apparently was in the Digital World. But then, it happened- barely a month after the return of the Digi-Destined, a Digital Portal opened near Highton View Terrace, and the army of the Dark Lord emerged." His expression darkened. 

"It seemed that conquering the Digital World wasn't enough for the Warlock Lord. The Digi-Destined fought bravely, but they were outnumbered, outmatched. One after another, they were found and destroyed. Now all of Japan has been conquered by this Digimon army, and Jungle Base is all we have left against King Etemon and his army." "King Etemon?" Tai asked. "Yes, he was the one to finally defeat the Warlock Lord- but the darkness turned him more evil, more twisted and cruel than he'd ever been before. At least the Dark Lord left us more or less alone, but that one actually seems to enjoy watching humans suffer... but I thought there was supposed to be one more?" 

"We're not sure where he ended up," Tai admitted. "The Digital Portal must have dropped him somewhere else- maybe even an entirely different dimension. Who was that man that tried to kill Patamon?" "General Tao is our head of security," Miyamoto said. "You must understand that by some, the arrival of the Digi-Destined is viewed as a cataclysmic event- and Tao is one of those." "But then why-" Izzy's words were cut short as an alarm klaxon began to hoot loudly throughout the base. "We're under attack!" Miyamoto exclaimed. "ALL PERSONNEL TO BATTLE STATIONS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. REPEAT_..._" The loudspeaker repeated its message as General Miyamoto rushed out of the room, leaving the Digi-Destined wondering what to do next...

Meanwhile, across the city, another Digital Portal blazed to life atop a ruined building overlooking a small, dingy alley below. Davis and Veemon tumbled out of the Portal to land on the crumbling concrete rooftop. "Whew," said Davis. "I never thought I'd be so glad to see civilization again... where are we, Veemon?" "I'm not sure, Davis," Veemon said helpfully. "But it looks like the place you humans call Tokyo- just a little bit more run-down." "A _little _bit isn't exactly the word for it," Davis said, a chill beginning to creep down his spine. If this was Tokyo, then they'd been transported to the future- a not-too-distant future by the looks of things; Davis even recognized a few of the buildings. But he dreaded to think what had happened to the city- the place had become an urban wasteland, a ghost town, a future out of Davis's worst nightmares... As if to prove Davis's dark thoughts true, a heavy thudding of paws sounded on the street below. Davis squinted in the flickering yellow glow of a nearby street lamp- and recoiled in horror at what he saw. _A Demon Hunter... here in Tokyo? _Davis shuddered. This wasn't looking good... The nightmare beast below caught a glimpse of the boy and Digimon on the rooftop. It snarled a feral challenge as madness gleamed in its yellow eyes. It was a berserker, a monster- and it had to be stopped. "Golden armor, energize!" Davis shouted.

Sakura shrank back into the shadows in fear, horrified at the sight of the advancing monster. Cincomon stepped in front of her. "_Thunder Javelin_!" he shouted. His entire body glowed with the energy he was expending, and a brilliant white spear of electricity arced from Cincomon's rigid body toward the encroaching demon. But this time, the Demon Hunter was ready. A single massive, armored forearm swung forward, deflecting the blast into the side of a nearby building with ease. Cincomon slumped weakly against the dingy brick wall of the alley, exhausted. _I put nearly all my energy into that attack, he thought, __and it didn't even phase that monster! But he had to defend the human he'd so recently come to care for- even at the expense of his own life. "Don't come any closer!" he warned, using nearly all his strength just to remain upright. The demon hissed in anticipation, and continued stalking slowly toward Sakura and Cincomon. "__Thunder Force!" Cincomon shouted again. The blast caused the demon to skid back a few feet- but Cincomon had expended all his energy. It was only through sheer willpower that he remained standing at all. "I'm sorry, Sakura..." he said weakly. "I tried..." He looked up at the human girl, tears in his eyes. How could he explain what he felt for her- and the frustration he felt at not being enough to save her, despite having used all his power in her defense? _I'll fight to the very end for her_, he thought. _It's all I can do now_. With a growl of anticipation, the Demon Hunter tensed to lunge..._

"Veemon golden armor-digivolve to... Magnamon!"

Sakura looked up in surprise. Just as she'd almost given up hope... maybe there was a chance, after all. A shining golden radiance filled the air above them. The demon shrank back warily, uncertain as to how to meet the new challenge. It had encountered digivolutions before, but none that were anything like this...

"_Magna Kick_!" The radiant, armored Digimon leaped from atop the building, one foot striking the demon in the flank. The nightmare beast flew into the opposite wall of the alley, a rain of loose gravel and concrete cascading down about it. But the battle was far from over. The Demon Hunter pushed off the wall with its hind legs, catapulting into Magnamon. "_Magna Punch!" Magnamon cried. Fists of fury met wicked claws of steel, and the two combatants rolled around the alley, kicking, punching, biting, clawing- anything to win. _It's all my fault_, Cincomon thought. _Now this new Digimon's in trouble because I couldn't defend Sakura, and it's all because of me. Maybe I can at least help him out- just one more attack_, he told himself. _

Limping toward the two Digimon, both of them locked in mortal combat, Cincomon saw that the demon's size and weight were giving it a distinct advantage- any second now, those razor sharp claws would penetrate to slash Magnamon's throat... Cincomon gathered what little strength remained to him. _It's now or never_... Raising himself up on his hind legs, Cincomon concentrated on the energy in the environment around him, the electrons present in the air, pulling them to him, increasing his own power... The ions gathered into a ball of pulsating electricity in Cincomon's outstretched arms. With a last tremendous effort, Cincomon sent the attack on its way. "_Electro Beam_!" he gasped. Combined with the last of Cincomon's own power, the powerful electric charge hit the Demon Hunter full on, where it had no armor plating or other defenses to protect it. With an inhuman cry of shock, the demon was blasted away from Magnamon, toward the alley's entrance. 

_I hope it was enough, Cincomon thought to himself as he felt the blackness closing in. __Goodbye, Sakura... With that thought, Cincomon slipped into unconsciousness. Sakura rushed forward to gather the valiant little Digimon into her arms, hoping against hope that she'd be able to do something to keep him alive. Meanwhile, Magnamon was still locked in mortal combat with the enraged demon. Although Cincomon's last attack had been enough to save him, the battle wasn't over yet. "__Magna Blaster!" he roared, pulse after pulse of radiant white light ripping into the demon. With a howling, ululating cry of pain, the Demon Hunter turned to run from the alley, from the battle it knew it couldn't win. "Finish him, Magnamon!" Davis cried, leaping down from the rooftop where he'd been watching the fight. Magnamon raised his arms. "_Magna Explosion_!" he shouted. The blast was so bright Davis thought at first he'd gone blind. Blinking rapidly, his vision slowly returned to normal... to discover an exhausted DemiVeemon and a pile of blackened, smoldering ashes where the Demon Hunter had stood. _

It was only then that he became aware of the alley's other occupant. Sakura walked toward him hesitantly, as if unsure of the demon's destruction. Many times she'd seen a Demon Hunter kill, but never, _never, had she seen one die. "You- you saved me!" she said, astonished. __Now why does he get all the credit?  DemiVeemon thought, too tired to really care. __Wow, Davis thought. __I've never been the hero before... He stood motionless, at a loss for words. After a while, he decided that he rather liked the feeling, being a hero and all... "We'd better get moving," he said at last. "The battle's probably going to attract some unwelcome visitors- and our Digimon aren't in any shape to fight again right now." __Who is this guy? Sakura thought to herself. __He saved my life, and I don't even know him... __And he's SO handsome! Side by side, each carrying their own Digimon, Davis and Sakura walked out of the alleyway._

Colonel Robert Nakamura, squadron leader in what was left of Japan's Naval Air Force, climbed into the cockpit of his fighter, helmet in hand. While most of Japan's navy had been destroyed by a surprise attack in the harbor at Nagasaki, the carrier _Karu had escaped by simple luck, still on its shakedown cruise fresh from the shipbuilding yard._

Nakamura grinned at the sheer irony of it all. The Chinese government, pressured by overpopulation and the threat of a civilian revolt, had attacked Japan to gain land for their exploding population. Thus, for a while, the Japanese had fought a war on two fronts- against the invading Digimon from within, and against the Chinese from without. Then the monsters had attacked China, too, and the two nations formed an uneasy alliance against the common threat- until both had been conquered by the Dark Lord.

He donned his helmet, wincing at the earsplitting noise as the helmet's systems purged static from the channel. As the glass canopy swung slowly shut, the voice of the Communications Officer echoed in his ears. "It's just a routine mission this time, Colonel," he'd said. "A couple of big ones are on the loose in downtown Tokyo, and the CO wants you to take them out." Just another routine mission- but then, such missions truly had become the norm since the first Dark Portal had opened in downtown Odaiba... _When will it end? he wondered. __How many more missions, how much more can we take before there's nothing left? _

The crew chief knelt, one arm raised, then pointed forward. Grinning wryly at the age-old gesture, Nakamura slammed the throttles to full. At the same time, the steam-powered catapult rammed his fighter down the runway. It was exhilarating. It'd been so long since Nakamura's last real catapult launch- _Karu's catapult never had worked properly, and whenever the maintenance techs managed to "fix" it, it never seemed to work for more than a few launches at a time._

Once clear of the carrier, Nakamura throttled back a bit to wait for his wingmen to catch up.  Hawk, Star, and Scarman rose into the air behind him. Nakamura's voice crackled over the channel. "Cobra Leader to Cobra Flight, form on me. Assume course two-one-two, speed 700 KPS on afterburners." The flight formed up into a loose diamond shape around him, executing a slow turn and boosting toward the city.

Nakamura's fighter performed smoothly, afterburners igniting a split second before those of his wingmen. The Scimitar was an older craft- not as heavily armed or technologically equipped as some of the more modern jet fighters, but still competitive in the hands of a skilled pilot. Its speed and maneuverability more than made up for its lack of heavy weapons, and tended to make it a tough opponent against any known enemy craft- and there were all too many of those these days. Star's feminine voice echoed over the channel, cold now, professional. "Objective in sight, Cobra Leader." Nakamura's eyes strained as he made out two large dinosaur-like Digimon in the midst of destroying several skyscrapers near the Imperial Palace.

"Roger that, Cobra Four. Prepare to deploy the Seekers." The 'Seekers' were a relatively new technological development. Long ago it had been discovered that every Digimon emitted a special frequency outside of anything that normally occurred on Earth. The Seeker missile homed in on these frequencies, making for flawless delivery of the warhead to the target. The problem was, the bulky instrument packages weighed so much that the missiles had an extremely limited range before the thrusters burned out and the weapons dropped harmlessly to earth. This made the Scimitar, with its superior acceleration, speed, and maneuverability the perfect craft for the job, since it had a better chance of getting close in to the target and out again without taking damage from the monsters' often unpredictable projectile attacks.

Suddenly a strange, cold voice crackled over the headset. Nakamura frowned. The voice was somehow familiar; he was sure he'd heard it somewhere before... "Banshee Leader to Cobra Flight. Abort your mission and return to base- or be destroyed." Nakamura scanned his radar, looking in vain for the source of the broadcast. There was no telltale blip to signify any sort of threat, and the Scimitar's improved radar should have been able to detect even Stealthed aircraft... "What do we do now, Cobra leader?" Hawk's worried voice echoed over the comm. Nakamura thought. There didn't seem to be any true threat anywhere nearby... Meanwhile, the range to target steadily dwindled on his HUD, the two Digimon growing closer, more visible in the distance. "Disregard Banshee Leader," he said after a pause. "Continue to close range and eliminate the target."

"This is your last warning, Cobra Leader- disengage!" Nakamura began to get irritated with the cold, dispassionate voice that echoed over the comm unit. "Negative, Banshee Leader, whoever you are," Nakamura said tightly, "And get the hell off my channel!" he snapped. "As you wish, Colonel," the voice responded. Suddenly four blips appeared on his radar, loosely arrayed around Nakamura's formation. Four fighters flickered into view around the four Scimitars of Cobra Flight. _Where'd they __come from? Nakamura's gut went cold. __Cloaked fighters? He didn't know the enemy had that kind of power..._

"Cobra Flight! Do you copy?" Nakamura shouted over the radio. "Emergency maneuvers!" As the four Scimitars of Cobra Flight streaked toward the ocean's surface, the bandits opened fire...

Yolie Inoue stretched luxuriously as the morning sun rose over the hidden valley north of Tokyo. Stepping out onto the small porch of the cottage, Yolie thought back to that fateful day so long ago...

Yolie shivered as Diablomon laughed in triumph, the broken body of WarGreymon falling to the ground behind him. Abruptly, Diablomon thrust his arm out toward the nearest building. A sheet of flame erupted from the place the building had been, cutting the rest of the Digi-Destined off from view. Yolie could only assume they'd been caught in the blaze... Diablomon stepped back through the roaring inferno, apparently unscathed by the fires he'd unleashed. Madness gleaming in his feral yellow eyes, Diablomon stalked slowly toward the remaining Digi-Destined. Yolie's blood ran cold as she realized that today, she was going to die. 

The group shrank back into the shadow of a towering building, knowing that there was nothing more they could do, that this time their luck really had run out. Suddenly, from an entirely unexpected direction, Ankylomon charged. Though he knew it was hopeless, that he had no chance against the red monster of a Digimon that had all but destroyed the Digi-Destined, still he charged- trying his best to protect Cody one last time. Seeing the direction of their gaze Diablomon turned toward the unexpected attacker- but too late. Ankylomon smashed into Diablomon, sending him tumbling to the debris-strewn avenue in what had once been the city of Odaiba. "Tail Hammer!" he cried, the spike-studded iron ball at the end of his tail arcing forward to impale itself directly between Diablomon's shoulder blades. Shattered chunks of flesh and bone flew skyward, blood rushing from what was surely a mortal wound... 

But even as Yolie watched, Diablomon climbed slowly, painfully to his feet. As she stared in mounting horror, Diablomon grabbed hold of Ankylomon's tail and, with an effort, pulled it free of his body. Utilizing what was surely the last of his terrible power, Diablomon swung Ankylomon by his tail, sending him crashing into a burning building behind him. But the evil Digimon would not go down. Hissing with anticipation, Diablomon again turned his maddened gaze upon the three remaining Digi-Destined. "Just how much can that monster take?" Cody asked in shock. But even wounded, covered by burning debris and feeling as if every bone in his body was shattered, Ankylomon refused to give up. "I've... got to... help Cody!" the Digimon gasped, struggling to his feet with a superhuman effort. With a growl of renewed resolution, the valiant Digimon shook off the last of the burning debris and charged at Diablomon once again- but this time, the monster was ready. 

Slowly, slowly, Diablomon turned toward his attacker- and with speed like nothing Yolie had ever seen, his gleaming yellow claws extended until they became impossibly long, imbedding themselves in Ankylomon's tough hide. The armored Digimon screamed in agony as red flames raced down their length, the pain excruciating as they burned over his entire body. When he could take it no longer, his energy long since expended, Ankylomon began to shrink, slowly transforming back into Armadillomon. Yellow eyes gleaming, Diablomon stalked forward... 

"Static Force!" Somehow, Yolie didn't know, Sylphimon had managed to escape the inferno that had become Odaiba and circle around, arriving just in time. While the evil Digimon was still blinded by the blast, Sylphimon snatched Armadillomon from the broken pavement. Then she turned, heading toward the Digi-Destined- but Diablomon had already seen her intentions. "Apocalypse Laser!" he growled- and a dark red, focused beam shot directly at Yolie. Yolie was frozen with fear- but Kari, standing beside her, wasn't. Kari had seen the look on Yolie's face, knew she couldn't move from sheer terror- and in one final act of selflessness, pushed her friend roughly aside, taking for herself the blow that had been meant for Yolie. And Kari fell, the power of Light gone dark once and for all. 

Then Sylphimon was there. Grabbing Yolie under one arm and Cody the other, they flew away from the flaming apocalypse the city had become... and they saw as the missiles streaked down from the heavens, the final flash of nuclear fire extinguishing any hope of survivors besides themselves.

            Cody had lived with Yolie for a time after that, she thought, remembering- but something about that day had devastated the young Digi-Destined. He had seemed to create a sort of wall within his mind, had forgotten everything that had happened while he was a Digi-Destined... and one morning Yolie had woken to find him and Armadillomon gone, leaving no note or anything; nothing to signify their passage. Yolie worried about Cody- she hoped he was all right, wherever he was now... 

Yolie got up to water her small garden. Though the little valley above Tokyo was warm and peaceful, and had plenty of running water (and was, in Yolie's opinion, about the closest to paradise one could get) it provided precious little in the way of food, so cultivating the little garden became one of her daily activities, and in fact she soon grew to enjoy it. The garden had been Cody's gift before he left; to her surprise his grandmother had owned a small working farm and had taught Cody the rudiments necessary for farming. 

As she lifted the watering can, a faint rumbling in the earth caught her off balance. _An earthquake? she wondered. Suddenly a huge tree at the edge of the clearing crashed to the ground- covered in intense red flames. Yolie could feel the heat all the way across the clearing... and four Airdramon hove into view over the valley. Clearly, they had been behind the destruction- but why? The leader banked sharply into a steep dive- directly at Yolie. Startled, she rolled quickly to the side- and just in time. "__Tornado Flame!" the Airdramon roared, a fiery blast scorching the garden where Yolie had just stood. The rest of the Airdramon followed their leader's example, and Yolie continued desperately to dodge- but how long could she keep it up before the Airdramon got her?_

 As she twisted frantically aside to dodge yet another attack, a root protruding from the ground caught her leg- and she went tumbling to the ground in a graceless heap. As she lay on the ground, breathing hard, she twisted her head around in time to see the small farmhouse burst into flame- and the leader of the Airdramon, sensing opportunity, swung around at her for another attack. Yolie knew she couldn't dodge this one; knew that this time, she really was going to die. Red flames began to gather at the Airdramon's wingtips...

            "_Static Force_!" Sylphimon's attack sent the Airdramon tumbling out of the sky. The remaining three Airdramon scattered, wheeling about, trying to assess this new threat. But before they could do anything, Sylphimon swooped down, snatching up Yolie and carrying her quickly away. The slower Airdramon could not hope to follow. A booming explosion echoed throughout the valley. Startled, Yolie looked up- it hadn't been from what remained of her small house. Abruptly, a climbing tower of flame erupted from central Tokyo, from somewhere that must have been near the old Imperial Palace...

            "Something must be going on down there," Yolie thought aloud. "Why else would they send those Airdramon to attack us- and who made that explosion? King Etemon may be cruel, but I never thought he'd waste that kind of power on destroying a building..." "Maybe somebody's fighting him at last," Sylphimon responded. "That could be it," Yolie said thoughtfully, "and whoever it is could probably use our help." "Then it's settled," Sylphimon said. "Let's go check it out!"

            The Digi-Destined rushed into the corridor after General Miyamoto, the alarm klaxons wailing in the distance. Matt watched in silence as the General palmed open a security locker outside his office. Grim-faced, Miyamoto withdrew a strangely shaped object two or three feet in length, with a concave-shaped bowl at one end. "What's that?" Matt asked, curious. "A disruptor," Miyamoto replied. "They're relatively new weapons that work only against Digimon- they're tuned to the Digimons' special frequency. Once the beam connects, it sets up a field where molecules can't hold together anymore- in other words, the target Digimon quite simply disintegrates. The disruptors have never been used in battle before, but the theory is that once a Digimon is hit by a disruptor beam, its data becomes so scrambled that it can't return to Primary Village for reconfiguration- a Disrupted Digimon isn't coming back."  A distant explosion echoed through the base. Miyamoto slung a bandolier studded with extra power packs across his chest, and started down the corridor. "You kids find somewhere safe to wait until the attack is over," he called back over his shoulder as he ran toward the source of the explosion.

            "_Rapid Striker!" GranKuwagamon roared. King Etemon rolled effortlessly out of the way, the attack striking the remains of one of the attack bots. Earlier in the battle, the five robots had charged at King Etemon, disruptors blazing- but a single slash from the evil tyrant's saber had been enough to put them all out of the fight. Ken was worried. GranKuwagamon was beginning to tire, and he certainly couldn't last much longer unless the fight came to an end, and soon. Ken snapped off another shot with his blaster, the heavy laser beam glancing off King Etemon's armor. The intense battle between the two Digimon had turned much of the surrounding city to rubble, and even the old Imperial Palace had taken some hits. _

King Etemon vaulted over a fallen column, preparing to attack once more. Ken raised his blaster- but the intense firing of the past few minutes had melted the barrel, and the weapon was useless. "_Imperial Beam_!" King Etemon shouted. The brilliant blue beam threw GranKuwagamon back, where he lay on the ground, motionless. The valiant Digimon struggled to rise, to face his enemy once more- but the long battle with King Etemon had nearly depleted his energy, and the evil Digimon still looked completely undamaged. 

_I have one more chance, GranKuwagamon thought, every muscle in his body protesting as he sought to stand, __One last chance to rid the world of this monster once and for all. With the last of his energy, GranKuwagamon abruptly surged to his feet. "__Carapace Missile!" he bellowed. The giant horn on his forehead shot forward, catching King Etemon in the shoulder. The evil Digimon flew backwards, the horn penning him to a heavily damaged skyscraper. Though he struggled to free himself, King Etemon was impaled, unable to get away. GranKuwagamon extended his arms, power gathering as he sought to direct one last blast against King Etemon. _

"GranKuwagamon, no!" Ken shouted, seeing what the Digimon was about to do. "It ends here!" GranKuwagamon roared. "_Pulse-wave Implosion_!" An aura of white energy gathered around GranKuwagamon, forming into an enormous ball of raw power in his outstretched hands. With a final bellow of defiance, GranKuwagamon sent the attack streaking forward. King Etemon saw what was coming, tried to avoid it- but to no avail. The beam struck home, and the entire city seemed to disappear in a wash of brilliant white light...

            When Ken could finally see again after the blinding burst of power, he saw a wide swath of devastation, a long strip of land on which nothing survived, an avenue of destruction through the middle of Tokyo that stretched so far he thought he could see the distant glimmer of the sea... and an unconscious Wormmon, stretched flat on the pavement. "Wormmon!" Ken cried as he rushed forward to gather the little Digimon in his arms. Wormmon didn't respond, his breathing shallow and uneven. 

Ken rocked back a little, off balance on the broken concrete- and just missed the lethal red laser beam that passed through the area where his head had just been. Armor now tarnished and scorched, in some places nearly burned through, and crimson robes long since disintegrated, King Etemon stepped out of the shadows. Breathing hard and shakily grasping a laser pistol, the evil Digimon advanced on Ken and the helpless Wormmon. "That blast was enough to deplete most of my energy," King Etemon said, "but then, one doesn't always need powerful attacks to finish the job. This blaster should do just as well, don't you think?"

            MetalGarurumon raced through the streets of Tokyo, toward the site of the explosion he and Matt had seen from the harbor area. Suddenly a blinding flash of pure energy erupted from somewhere up ahead. Even at this distance, the sheer force of the attack slammed MetalGarurumon against the side of a nearby building. "Are you all right, Matt?" he growled. "Sure..." Matt said shakily. "It's getting pretty intense up there- I hope GranKuwagamon wasn't on the receiving end of that attack." "I hope we can get there in time," MetalGarurumon said as he started once more toward the site of the blast.

            A distant explosion echoed through the base. At the sound of the word "battle", Tai had gone racing through the corridors trying to find some place where he could be of help. And what could the other Digi-Destined do but follow him? Within minutes they ran up a glass-enclosed stairwell and ended up on the control bridge, a cylindrical turret that projected above the armored body of Jungle Base. Narrow rectangular windows encircled the control room, allowing a full view in all directions. The glowing diagnostic screens directly below each viewport flashed alarm warnings. A line of heavy photon guns, lasers, and ion cannons ringed the platform- but because of Tai's enthusiasm, the Digi-Destined had arrived before most of the gunners. 

General Miyamoto struggled to shout orders over the sounds of aircraft engines that suddenly filled the air around Jungle Base. There was a muffled concussion as the first of the perimeter guns fired. Armed guards ran about, strapping additional weapons to their belts, preparing to defend the station. "What's going on?" a soldier with commander's insignia shouted at Miyamoto. "We're under attack!" Miyamoto shouted back. "Scorpion-class bombers and Gotha fighters- it looks like the Mandarins again." "The Mandarins?" Izzy asked. "Who are they?" "Human traitors," the General shouted back. "They fought for King Etemon when-" he stopped short as he noticed the eight Digi-Destined. 

"What are you doing here?" he asked sharply. "Well," Izzy started, "We heard the alarms and everything and thought we might be able to help." The general glared angrily at them- but whatever reply he had been about to make was cut off by Matt's shout as he ran toward one of the gun mounts. "Hey, Tai!" he shouted. "These controls are just like that video game we used to play, _Universal Obliterator!" "Yeah!" Tai yelled, rushing for the quad laser cannon next to Matt's. "I always used to outscore you at that game!" "Did not!" Matt retorted. The two quickly became engaged in a heated competition as to who could shoot down more enemy fighters. General Miyamoto watched in disbelief as fighter after fighter bit the dust. "Well," he said after a moment, "I guess you can stay here and help out- but don't get underfoot!" _

Tai and Matt paid no attention to the general's announcement, so absorbed were they in their game. The invading aircraft were closer now, engines screaming against the atmosphere as they sought to weave a deadly dance against the lancing beam weapons of the defenders of Jungle Base. Tai squeezed the trigger- a miss! The fighters were darting in and out now, more evasive as they went after targets spread along the outer surface of Jungle base. Despite heroic efforts by the defenders, bomber after bomber dropped their deadly loads on the base, burning fuel from the high explosives setting the jungle canopy aflame. The Gotha fighters, meanwhile, mounted deadly, precision attacks against the missile and gunnery defenses of the base. Position after position went down under their relentless assault- the fighters were just too many, and too quick and evasive, for the defenders to keep accurate track of them. 

Tai grunted as he realigned the targeting circle, feeling the energy thrum through the firing sticks in his fingers. More defenders charged onto the defensive platform, taking up positions at a few of the heavier guns. They glanced curiously at the two young Digi-Destined, but they didn't argue, instead beginning to lash out at targets of their own. Tai used his targeting circles to lock onto a sluggish, fully loaded Scorpion bomber that arrowed toward the clustered residential structures. The bomber came in, picking up speed, its deadly bomb-bay door opened. Tai grasped the firing controls of the heavy cannons and gritted his teeth as a loud whoop next to him indicated that Matt had scored another kill. Finally, the target lock blinked as the Scorpion bomber settled directly in the crosshairs. 

Tai squeezed the trigger, launching searing blasts of laser energy from the turret. The beams hit the bomber just before it could drop its load of explosives. Instead of destroying the homes of hundreds of civilians, the bomber erupted in midair. The blossoming detonations grew louder and louder as its own heavy bombs fed into the eruption, and the brilliant ball of smoke and fire expanded into the sky. "I'm one up on you now, Matt!" Tai cried. "Amazing," Izzy said. "All that time they spent on those pointless video games is paying off- they're out shooting all the other gunners!" A Gotha fighter screamed past, hammering the shields of the platform with its heavy photon cannons. Matt's turret abruptly lashed out, catching the fighter in mid turn as it came around for another pass. 

"Good work, men!" General Miyamoto called. "We're driving them off!" Indeed, the ranks of marauding aircraft seemed somewhat thinned- but then, new alarms began to wail, this time from a different section of the station. "We've had a station breach!" the general shouted. "Some damn fool's trying to open the hangar bay!" At the same instant, more enemy aircraft appeared on radar, closing from space- a long way away, but moving fast. Four of what looked like marine transports, being escorted by fighters Izzy hadn't seen before. Their sleek, otherworldly lines confirmed that they were indeed of an advanced design- and not something the Mandarins could have produced on their own. And they were headed directly for the opening hangar bay. General Miyamoto swore. "Imperial Guard- King Etemon must be in on this, too! I'll try to stop whoever's opening the hangar bay- shoot down those marine transports at all costs!" 

Without another word, General Miyamoto dashed out the door. Tai stared at the display. The new enemy aircraft were closing fast- and the Scorpions and Gothas, which had been running from Jungle Base, abruptly turned and boosted back toward the embattled defenders. Matt laughed weakly. "You know what this reminds me of, Tai? Level Seven from _Universal Obliterator_." "Level Seven?" Tai asked. "You mean the level where the fleet of alien warships attacks and you always lose?" "Yeah," Matt said. "I'm starting to get a real funny feeling about all of this." 

Suddenly, Tai's face went pale. "Missiles inbound!" the tactical officer shouted. The enemy fighters had boosted ahead of the transports- and from each fighter detached a swarm of radar-homing missiles. "We'd better get out of here!" Joe cried. The Digi-Destined headed for the stairwell- but they were the only ones who did. The rest of the defenders stayed put, determined to fight to the end. Matt stood in the doorway a moment, watching spellbound as the missiles closed. Guns blazing, the defenders of Jungle Base sought to destroy the approaching warheads. Missiles went down right and left, violent explosions filling the sky. But there were just too many. Hundreds of missiles emerged from the explosions, angling toward the defensive platform. 

Point defenses kicked in, a spray of old-fashioned machine gun rounds punching out. More missiles went down- but still, the rest continued to close. Matt turned to run. A missile mount on the platform's outer skin fired- an amazing shot, connecting with one of the four marine transports. The transport went down into the jungle, flaming- and then the world disappeared in a rush of fiery explosions for the defenders of Jungle Base.

            Cody Hida sat on the soft warm sands of Wartaki Island, a few miles off the coast of Japan. After the disastrous battle with Diablomon, Cody had retreated into himself. He didn't remember anything about the time when he was a Digi-Destined, from his first trip into the Digital World to that final fateful battle, when the Digi-Destined had finally been defeated. 

His memories from that point on had been hazy for awhile- he remembered vaguely staying with someone named Yolie, and that she had taken care of him when he was very sick. Why he'd been sick, he didn't remember- but all the time he'd stayed with her, his life was filled with an overwhelming sense of loss. And the most frustrating part was, he just didn't know _why_. So one day, he'd set out from the little valley above Tokyo, determined to find the answers. 

He'd searched for almost five years, and he still didn't seem any closer to what he was searching for than he had been in the beginning. Then he'd found this island. It still wasn't perfect, and it definitely wasn't what he'd been searching for- but its warm, golden sands reminded him vaguely of someone's face, especially when she smiled. He sighed in frustration. That was the one memory of his past he still retained. A face framed in golden blond hair, her silent laughter seeming to light up the whole room in Cody's mind- but that's all she was, a face. Cody had been searching for her especially, wondering who she was- his mother? Almost certainly not; she seemed much too young for that, at least in Cody's mind. Maybe his sister then, or even someone he hadn't yet met- but Cody had never found that vision of angelic beauty, never found the only thing he really longed for. Dimly, he sensed that whoever it was, she was lost to him forever. 

So the island had become Cody's home. Throughout all his searches, the only thing he'd really discovered was repeated wherever he went- visions of death, of destruction and horrors out of his worst nightmares. The island was the only place he'd ever been that seemed... peaceful. He'd finally given up his search for his lost past- maybe it was enough, for right now, just to live in the present, to enjoy the hot sands beneath his feet and the companionship of the only one who'd ever stayed with him- Armadillomon. 

The little creature walked silently up to Cody now, offering him a piece of _kola_-nut he'd gotten from one of the small island's treetops. Cody savored the tasty morsel, thinking. He didn't remember when he'd first met Armadillomon. The little creature had seemed shocked and hurt at first that Cody didn't know him- but how could he? He'd never met Armadillomon before in his life. Armadillomon called himself a _Digimon_- another word Cody didn't know, but that he associated faintly with feelings of hatred and distrust. He'd kept the little creature around, though- Armadillomon seemed to be the only link to Cody's lost past, and he sensed that it would be a mistake to lose him.

Cody took another bite of _kola_-nut. A distant noise echoed from the direction of mainland Japan in Cody's small hut. He stepped out into the sun, blinking at the sudden brightness. It had sounded somewhat like the distant pounding of ocean waves- but Cody had lived on the island long enough to know the difference. Suddenly, a giant metal machine roared through the air close to the waves. _A fighter jet, Cody's mind said- though he didn't know where he'd gotten that information. Another fighter, this one larger, painted jet black, followed, lancing out with its heavy energy beams at the smaller craft. The other pilot, his craft marginally faster, more agile, twisted frantically to avoid the penetrating red beams. _

_What's happening? Cody wondered, his head beginning to ache with a sort of dull pain. Suddenly, there was another explosion- this one behind him, from the other side of the tiny island. "Cody, help me!" Armadillomon called faintly. Tearing his eyes away from the battle before him, Cody turned and ran toward the sound of his friend's voice. __There. Armadillomon stood facing the sea, his back toward the rest of the little island. Facing him stood six... __Geptamon? his mind told him. _

Scuba masks and fins thrown aside, the giant reptilian Digimon advanced on Armadillomon, backing him into the trunk of a giant _kola-nut tree. __Geptamon... what are they doing here? Cody wondered. The shock troops of... __the Warlock Lord? The aching in his head grew. They were his deadly enemies, he remembered. Wasn't it they who had attacked him, just before the appearance of... __Diablomon. The throbbing pain in Cody's head became blinding. _

He screamed. Suddenly, memories rose- memories of Cody's forgotten past. At first they were vague, like thin wisps of smoke, transparent before his view of the impending battle- but they gradually became clearer and clearer, taking up the whole of Cody's vision. His first trip into the Digital World, looking around wide-eyed at the strange sights... his first battle, Armadillomon standing up for him... his first vision of Kari. 

Other memories came, hard, fast now, a relentless assault of names, faces, and events. His vision cleared for a moment, and Cody saw Armadillomon locked in mortal combat with the Geptamon. "_Diamond Shell!" the little Digimon shouted, striking one of the Geptamon in the face. Armadillomon was good... but not good enough to go up against six of the deadly Geptamon and have a chance of survival. As Armadillomon continued his deadly battle, the memories took hold again... _

The horrors of the Digimon Emperor, and freeing the slaves from his prisons... standing against BlackWarGreymon, with no one to back him up... and the Warlock Lord, and... _Diablomon... _

Cody fell to the ground, on the verge of unconsciousness, the pain in his head so terrible he couldn't stand it. _Diablomon's talons extended, embedding themselves in Ankylomon's tough hide, Ankylomon screaming in agony... __The evil Digimon's attack streaking forward... __and Kari throwing herself selflessly in front of the blast, trying desperately to save Yolie... __Kari...__ my only true love. _

He'd loved her, he knew that now- her smiling face as she spoke some word of kindness; the way she could make him feel better no matter how depressed he was... the way her laughter filled the room with light, so beautiful it brought tears to his eyes.       He loved her so much, but he'd never been able to tell her... 

He choked back a sob. And Diablomon had just _murdered her. "NO!" Cody shouted, the real world returning to him again for an instant. The pain of his memories was almost too much to bear... but this time, he had to keep fighting; this time he couldn't quit... for her. __For Kari. His features twisted with pain and hate, tears streaming down his face from the agony of loss. Cody held out the Digivice- and Armadillomon began to glow. Harsh white light surrounding him, for the first time in almost twenty years, he started to change. His voice rough from long years of disuse, Armadillomon roared. _

"Armadillomon digivolve to... Ankylomon!

The Geptamon looked on in astonishment. "King Etemon told us this wouldn't happen!" one of the evil Digimon hissed. As one, they turned and ran for the water- but his eyes glittering with terrible rage, Ankylomon was faster. "_Tail Hammer!" he shouted, catching the last Geptamon in the back. The rest redoubled their efforts to get away, running even faster for the water- but to no avail. _

"_Light Speed Charge!" Ankylomon roared, the sheer power and rage in his voice freezing the Geptamon in their tracks. His movements faster than Cody could track, Ankylomon charged the evil Digimon, the iron-studded ball at the end of his tail in constant motion- and soon, there was nothing left of the Geptamon, their pitiful remains drifting away on the waves. "You're back." Cody whispered, drying his tears on the corner of his shirt. "Something's happening in Tokyo- I can feel it," Ankylomon growled, his voice hoarse from long years of disuse. "Maybe there's still time," Cody said. "We've got to go- maybe we can get there in time to help out whatever's left." _For you, Kari_, he thought, his face tightening into a mask of anger, rage at the whole world over what had happened to her... _

And the boy and the Digimon turned their backs on the small island, never to return.

MetalGarurumon bounded through the streets of Tokyo near the old Imperial Palace. All sounds of combat had ceased up ahead. Matt just hoped Ken and GranKuwagamon were all right... 

"It should be just ahead," MetalGarurumon rumbled. 'It' was the was the large, relatively open area near the Imperial Palace where the government had directed a bomber strike in a last-ditch effort to save Tokyo from the Dark Lord. Thousands of Digimon had died in the attempt- but the Warlock Lord had inevitably conquered. Control of Primary Village meant his armies really were inexhaustible, Matt supposed. 

In one bounding leap, MetalGarurumon cleared a towering pile of rubble- and they came upon a most unusual sight. Ken knelt on the ground, holding an unconscious Wormmon to his chest, and King Etemon, looking very much the worse for wear, held a blaster pistol to his head. _GranKuwagamon must've given him a good fight_, Matt thought to himself. _Wouldn't Ken have found this ironic in his old Digimon Emperor days- a Digimon decides to take over _our _world, and he is prepared to sacrifice his life to protect one of them- when at first he didn't even think they were real_.

"Stay where you are!" King Etemon rasped. "Unless you want your friend here to die." The blaster pistol wavered ever so slightly in his grasp. MetalGarurumon growled menacingly. Suddenly, ice blue lasers shot out of his eyes, connecting with the blaster pistol King Etemon held. It exploded on contact. King Etemon drew his hand back, shaking. Ken didn't waver, maintaining the same rigid pose. 

"I've been waiting a long time for this," Matt said, advancing on King Etemon with MetalGarurumon at his side. "All the pain you've caused, all the horrors you've perpetuated- it ends here." His voice rising in pitch, Matt raised his fist, shaking with anger. "You will pay for what you have done to this world!" King Etemon stepped back, his energy exhausted- unable now even to defend himself. "All your power, all your armies, all your might- and this is what you've become." Matt's voice hardened. "Sora and the rest of the Digi-Destined died trying to stop what you've created. I will finish their work. You remember Sora, you monster?" 

King Etemon stumbled backward, a look of terror in his eyes- finally realizing that this time, this fight might not end the way he wanted it to. _Sora_, Matt thought, remembering the pain he'd felt that day. "This is for her!" he shouted. Matt raised his blaster, a bolt of deadly red energy streaking toward King Etemon. King Etemon lunged to the side, the beam missing him narrowly. His eyes focusing on a point behind Matt, he began to laugh. "Don't you understand, Digi-Destined?" he said, his voice a pale shadow of its former self. "You've lost already." 

"What are you talking about?" Matt asked, infuriated. He leveled the blaster again. "Look behind you, boy!" King Etemon rasped. Sensing sudden danger, Matt twisted rapidly around- and jumped backward, barely missing the giant metallic forearm that passed through the space where he had just been standing. Enraged, MetalGururumon charged. He slammed into King Etemon, sending the evil Digimon flying back into the side of a crumbling skyscraper. Growling, he prepared for one last attack that would end the evil king's reign once and for all. "_Metal Wolf Claw_!" he roared. But before the attack could be launched, an enormous fireball burned into his side, knocking him to the ground. The energy blast intended for King Etemon went flying harmlessly into the side of a nearby building.  

King Etemon laughed mirthlessly. "It seems the tables have turned, Digi-Destined," he gasped, as another towering Digimon emerged from behind the skyscraper he had fallen against. "Two Ultimates- a bit much even for you to handle, don't you think?" Matt said nothing, his fists clenched in fury. "MetalTyrannomon- attack!" King Etemon shouted. The two giant Digimon lumbered forward...

Colonel Robert Nakamura whip-kicked his fighter around in a dangerous maneuver near the ocean's surface. The enemy was fast- too fast, and dangerous. Star had been too slow once the four hidden ships had decloaked, and they'd gotten her...

One of the raiders dropped in behind him, relentlessly following the swift Scimitar effortlessly through all the complex maneuvers Nakamura could think of. The raider's heavy particle cannon lashed out at him, hammering at his weakening rear shields. Nakamura pulled up in a sharp tuck-and-roll maneuver that put him behind the strange black craft. Nakamura cued his lasers. Beams of coherent red energy flared the raider's rear shields- and then the strange black craft began to flicker out of view, rolling to the side to escape the probing beams. 

Scarman flashed into his vision, two raiders on his tail, twisting desperately to escape their assault. One of the black craft released a heat-seeking missile. The range was so close Scarman didn't have a chance. The missile impacted on the rear of the Scimitar, and the craft fireballed, an incandescent flash spiraling through the sky. Abruptly, all four black ships cloaked again, and Nakamura lost them. "Be careful," Hawk warned over the comm. "They're still out there somewhere." Warned by a sudden instinct, Nakamura kicked his fighter around, opening up with a spread of beams and missiles- just as one of the raiders flickered into view behind him. The enemy fighter exploded, pieces of the ruined craft raining off onto Nakamura's shields, weakening them further. 

Meanwhile, another enemy craft had appeared next to the first one. Nakamura opened fire- but the enemy fighter rolled to the side, limping away with one wing crumpled and spewing fuel from its ruptured wing tanks. "You'll pay for that!" the other pilot said over the comm, his cockpit warning lights flashing red in the background. Hawk hadn't been so lucky. The two other fighters had appeared behind and below him, cutting loose with a devastating barrage. He didn't even have time to maneuver before the probing beams had cut his fighter apart. Nakamura swallowed. He was the only one left, now... 

The aerial battle had drifted over Tokyo. Below he could see the target: two large dinosaur-like monsters. But what was this? Another monster, a giant metallic wolf, was actually _fighting the first two! If the giant metallic wolf was fighting the other monsters- well, at least Nakamura could maybe give it a chance. Abruptly, the swift Scimitar banked into one of the steep, plunging dives that were the craft's specialty. The three remaining black craft swerved to follow him- but in this one area, at least, the Scimitar had them outclassed. It was exhilarating. They could never catch him now! Banking in on the two monsters, Nakamura pressed the lever that would release the Seekers. The two warheads streaked away... that was all he could do now. He flipped the fighter on its side, maneuvering between two towering skyscrapers. Swerving left, he banked out over the ocean... _

But what was this? One of the two monsters had launched missiles! The warning chimed in his ears, growing in pitch as the missiles grew closer. Nakamura sought to evade- but the missiles followed his every movement! Nakamura swore. Reaching between his legs, he pulled hard on the ejector D-ring, praying that he was not already too late. The ejector seat shot out of the fighter's glassine canopy, even as the Scimitar exploded into flames around him...

Meanwhile, MetalGarurumon was locked in mortal combat with the two MetalTyrannomon. Though he was stronger than either one of them individually, every time it looked like he was getting the advantage, the other Digimon would attack, forcing him back. And MetalGarurumon also had to worry about protecting Wormmon and the two humans... 

"_Metal Wolf Claw!" he roared. The attack collided with one of the MetalTyrannomon, knocking it to the ground. Growling with anticipation, MetalGarurumon tensed his muscles to lunge- and the other Digimon grabbed him from behind with one giant metallic forearm. Suddenly, the giant wolf was helpless! Shot after shot rang out as Matt took aim with his blaster, but the heavy laser blasts had no effect on the evil Digimon. MetalTyrannomon held the giant wolf motionless in front of him as the other evil Digimon rose from the ground. Roaring with fury, the MetalTyrannomon prepared to direct a devastating attack at MetalGarurumon- but suddenly, help came from an entirely unexpected direction. _

A small, quick fighter jet darted down from the sky, missiles releasing from its wings. One MetalTyrannomon got a shot off at it with a missile attack- and then, suddenly, it was over. The missiles closed, exploding against the two giant Digimon. The intensity of the explosions catapulted MetalGarurumon through the air. He landed in a half-crouch behind Matt on the broken pavement. He growled, preparing to go on the attack again- but when the smoke cleared, nothing was left of the MetalTyrannomon. Matt stood beside him now, fists clenched. "Good work, MetalGarurumon," he said. "Now it's time to deal with King Etemon!" 

But as they looked around the devastated plaza, the evil king was nowhere to be found. Matt cursed helplessly. "We had him!" he shouted. "We had him, and now he's gone! We might never get a chance like this again!" "Matt," MetalGarurumon growled, "We may have lost King Etemon for now- but there are still those who could use our help." Matt paused to glance over to where Ken still cradled the unconscious Wormmon against his chest. "You're right," he said at last, wiping away his tears of rage. "We've got to get Wormmon some help fast. Let's try one of the nearby shelters." And so Matt, Ken, and Wormmon set off on MetalGarurumon, vaulting over one of the collapsed columns and disappearing from view.

General Tao sat back in the cockpit of the black fighter jet, cursing. Though all four Scimitars had been destroyed, the mission had failed- the two Digi-Destined had escaped. And it had happened at the cost of one of the priceless new Banshee-class attack craft- unthinkable! The Master would not be pleased...

The three remaining Banshees were over the jungle now. Using his transmitted access codes, General Tao began to open the hangar bay, swooping in for a hard, fast landing. With the cloaked fighter jet, it was child's play to avoid fire from the few remaining defensive batteries. He smiled coldly. The first thing he'd do after climbing out of the cockpit would be to lower the shielding so the four Imperial Guard transports could land. Then he'd have the pleasure of dealing with the remaining Digi-Destined personally...

General Miyamoto ran full tilt down the corridor toward the hangar bay, praying he would not be too late. If those four marine transports landed, any hope for the survival of Jungle Base would be gone...

He reached the doorway of the hangar. He punched in his access code- but the door wouldn't open! The diagnostic screen to the right of the keypad showed that the door was locked manually from the other side. Cursing, the general drew his blaster. The door lock on the other side should be right about... _There_. General Miyamoto squeezed the trigger. A tiny, precise red circle of superheated metal appeared at the point of the laser beam. A perfect hole was drilled in the door. The general raised his foot and kicked the door in- and was greeted by a shocking sight. Squadrons of marines were drawn up in tight ranks. They all bore the insignia of the viper. 

And near the far wall, General Tao was using his access codes to disable the shielding! "General Tao!" Miyamoto shouted. "What do you think you're doing?" General Tao paused a moment, looking up from the keypad. "That should be obvious, General," he said, smiling coldly. "I'm disabling the shielding so that the Imperial Guard transports can land." "You've betrayed us," Miyamoto whispered, a cold feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. "I should kill you right here!" he shouted, raising his blaster. "You're welcome to try," Tao said, "but if you took a shot at me, I doubt my troops would let you get very far." He gestured to the squadrons of marines assembled in the open hangar bay, their viper insignias glittering faintly in the semi-gloom. 

At his nod, they raised their blast rifles, aiming for General Miyamoto. "I suggest you evacuate Jungle Base while there's still time," Tao said, turning back to the keypad. Outside, the faint, wavering glow of the heavy shielding began to dissipate. "Shoot the General if he moves," Tao said to his men, "the transports should be landing soon." "I'll see you in hell!" General Miyamoto screamed. Raising his blaster, he snapped off a shot at Tao, turning and racing back into the corridor the way he had come. He didn't know if the shot had connected- but he hoped it had. A violent explosion rocked the station, nearly shaking Miyamoto off his feet. He cursed, leaning against the wall for balance. He had to find somewhere to talk to the command center- warn them of what was coming. There, on the far wall- an intercom. He raced toward it- but suddenly a blaster was pointing at him from thin air! 

General Miyamoto looked wildly around for the source- and could only discern a thin, pebbly outline against the gray bulkhead. _Aarmon, he thought, __it must be... Aarmon were like chameleons; they could, over time, blend in completely with their surroundings. But if Digimon had already penetrated the station, Jungle Base really was finished... He pivoted suddenly, a snap-kick to the Aarmon's hand sending the blaster skittering away into the shadows. Raising his own blaster, Miyamoto fired a single, deadly laser blast directly between the Aarmon's two glowing orange eyes. The reptile Digimon hissed, sinking to the floor, slowly becoming visible as it died. _

And then the second Aarmon loomed behind the general, striking him over the head with a hard iron truncheon. General Miyamoto sagged to the floor...

Meanwhile the Digi-Destined raced down the stairwell, explosions echoing overhead as what had once been the central defensive command post of Jungle Base was rapidly being reduced to rubble. Pieces of stone, iron, and other materials cascaded past the Digi-Destined as they jumped the last few steps to land in the corridor- and none too soon. A heavy compression noise echoed through the halls as tons of debris collapsed the stairs. "We've got to get out of here!" Izzy cried. "No way," Matt said. "We've got to find the general- remember, he said something about going to secure the hangar bay? Besides, without him how will we even know where the exit is, or where to go once we get out of the base? The jungle _is a pretty big place- Izzy?" Izzy wasn't even listening to what Matt was saying. _

Rather, he had plugged his laptop into a computer linkup on the wall that was, miraculously enough, still working, and sat doing what he did anyway half the time- typing away on his computer as if nothing else mattered, and completely ignoring the rest of the world. "IZZY!" Matt yelled, getting down close to his ear. Izzy winced at the volume of Matt's voice, closing his laptop and unhooking it from the wall. "The hangar bay is this way, guys," he said, starting off down a corridor to the right. "Well, I guess we'd better follow him..." Tai said, confused. "Go figure," Matt said, starting after Izzy.

General Miyamoto struggled to his feet, the pain in his head blinding. His vision blurred, he struggled toward where he thought the comm unit had been. His hand groped at the wall, as much for general support as for searching. His fingers touched the "Transmit" button, and he jabbed at it, gasping with the effort. His message resonated throughout the station. _If anyone's still alive to respond to it, he thought to himself. "The station has been penetrated by Imperial Guard," he said, his voice sounding weary in his own ears. "General Tao is a traitor... I couldn't stop him. Jungle Base is lost to us now," he said, the words painful to say. "Evacuate the base while there's still time!" General Miyamoto slumped to the floor, exhausted. He'd done all he could do, for now... The general lay heavily on the steel plate decking, and let the blackness take him..._

General Tao cursed, hearing Miyamoto's message. Somehow Miyamoto had slipped past the ambush he'd planned... it _would be just like him to resist until the last moment. The three surviving Imperial Guard shuttles were being unloaded behind him. Digimon as well as human mercenaries climbed out of the craft, assembling into tightly drawn ranks behind him. Tao sighed. Well, at least he'd still have the pleasure of hunting down the Digi-Destined personally..._

Izzy and the other Digi-Destined raced down the corridor toward the hangar bay. Izzy looked back for a moment to see if the others were following- and tripped over something lying on the floor. _A body? No, it was still alive, just unconscious... "General Miyamoto!" Izzy shouted, suddenly recognizing him in the darkness. The others came to a sudden stop behind him. "He's got a nasty bump on the head," Joe said, with his usual talent for stating the obvious. The general groaned, slowly opening his eyes. "Look- he's coming around!" Sora said. Miyamoto suddenly sat up straight, as if suddenly remembering the situation- and nearly hit the floor again at the pain his reaction brought him. _

"Careful," Matt said. "Something must've hit you pretty hard." "Didn't see him," the general mumbled. "Behind me." Then he seemed to become fully alert, struggling to his feet. "We've got to get out of here!" he gasped. "General Tao could be along at any moment!" Indeed, as Tai listened, he could hear distant footsteps, many of them- and they were coming closer. "Let's go," he said, putting one of the general's arms around his shoulders, helping him to walk. Miyamoto and the Digi-Destined hurried down another corridor toward one of the few access points to the base besides the hangar that Miyamoto said would still be free of enemy troops. The group was slowed by the injured general, however, and as he stumbled once more Matt bit off a curse. "Leave me," he gasped as he struggled to his feet once again. "We can't do that," Tai said, taking Miyamoto's hand and helping him along. "The Digi-Destined don't leave people behind. Besides, without you how would we ever find our way out of the jungle?" Despite his words, even Tai began to grow worried as the sounds of pursuit neared. 

A blaster bolt ricocheted off the wall a foot from Sora's head. "Stop where you are or we'll open fire!" the words of General Tao echoed from behind them. "What should we do?" Mimi asked worriedly. A squadron of armed troops headed by General Tao emerged into the light less than fifty feet from the Digi-Destined. They leveled their weapons. "This is your last chance, Digi-Destined!" General Tao shouted. "Surrender now or be destroyed!" In unison, Gabumon, Tentomon, Agumon and Biyomon turned about. "_Spiral Twister!" "_Blue Blaster_!" "__Super Shocker!" "__Pepper Breath!" General Tao and his men hit the deck plates, and scattered rifle blasts hit the walls all around the Digi-Destined- but the attacks had not been aimed at the clustered men. One of the support columns for the heavy, 10 foot thick stone ceiling was vaporized in a flash. A section of the heavy stone fell with a loud crash into the corridor- directly between the Digi-Destined and Tao's men. Muffled yells and blaster fire could be heard echoing from behind the solid rock. _

"Come on!" General Miyamoto gasped as the Digi-Destined stared at the place where the rock had fallen, "We've got to get out of here!" Shaking off Tai's helping arm, he sprinted to a panel set into the floor. Squinting in the gloom of Jungle Base's emergency lighting, he began to key in his personal access code on the numerical keypad inset into the panel. Glowing red points of light became visible as the enemy troops began to blast away at the huge rock in an effort to get through. "Come on..." T.K. said under his breath, urgency evident in his voice. With a barely perceptible hiss, the floor panel rose. A ladder set into one of the base's four giant main support struts was visible leading to the ground. "There is no way I'm climbing that thing!" Mimi exclaimed upon seeing the distance they would have to climb. "Come on!" Tai shouted, seeing the pinpoints of red grow brighter. "We haven't got much time!" 

Finally, Joe began to climb down the ladder, with Mimi perched precariously on his shoulders. "Why is it always me who has to carry her?" he complained as he began the long descent. The others followed. The last in line, Tai swung out the access panel and grabbed hold of the ladder- just as the fallen rock blocking the corridor exploded from the intense blaster fire. General Tao's troops raced into the corridor, looking angrily about for the Digi-Destined- but General Miyamoto had already locked the access panel back in place, and without the proper access codes, there was no way to re-open it. General Tao dashed into the small control room just to the left of the floor panel- and saw nothing. The passage dead-ended just beyond that. Then he remembered. Cursing, he walked over to the access panel- but short of blasting the entire floor apart, there was no way to re-open it. The Digi-Destined had escaped into the jungle...

King Etemon stood on a balcony overlooking Tokyo, in his lavish suite in the old Imperial Palace. A human servant, bowing, gestured that someone wished to speak to him. King Etemon followed the servant in, gesturing him out as he sat down in front of his personal vid-com unit. Bowing once again, the man left. King Etemon cued the unit. The face of General Tao appeared on the screen, heavy smoke swirling in the background. "Your status?" King Etemon asked. "Sir," General Tao said, breathing hard, "Imperial Guard assault marines have penetrated the station. We're mopping up the last of the resistance as we speak." "I know that," King Etemon said, waving his hand dismissively. "What about the Digi-Destined?" 

"Sir," Tao said, his face visibly paling, "We lost them. They escaped through an access hatch into the jungle. We believe they've gone for the motor pool." King Etemon's face darkened with anger. "You allowed the Digi-Destined to escape?" he shouted, his voice rattling the walls. "Sir, it wasn't like-" "Silence!" King Etemon roared. "The Banshee fighters are too valuable to risk- but send a few of the Gothas that still have enough fuel down into the jungle after them. And get some men down to the motor pool! The Digi-Destined must not escape!" His voice shook with rage. "Yes, sir!" General Tao said, trembling. "Tao out!" The vid-com image snapped off. King Etemon destroyed the unit with one swing of his massive paw. _Incompetent fools! _he raged to himself. _I'll have to deal with those Digi-Destined pests by  myself!_ Crimson robes swirling around him, King Etemon stalked wrathfully out of the palace...  
  


The engines of the Gotha fighter screamed in the lower levels of the jungle as the Digi-Destined sought desperately to climb to the ground. "We've got to do something!" Izzy shouted as the Gotha fighter screamed past again, particle cannons blazing. "One of these times that fighter's going to hit us!" "I'll handle it!" Biyomon cried. A flare of white light flashed out from Sora's Digivice- and nothing happened. "Our Digivices don't seem to work in this world!" Kari shouted. "What's happening?!" "It's the Forbidden Jungle!" General Miyamoto gasped. "I'll tell you when we've got more time! Now... in my pack, there's a long rope! Tie it to that step up there and we can all slide down!" Another Gotha joined the first, strafing the tree next to the support strut the Digi-Destined were climbing down. Tai quickly tied an expert sailor's knot to the rung on the ladder, then gestured for Joe and Mimi, the first two to begin the descent, to slide down. Miraculously, the rope held, and the Digi-Destined quickly slid to the ground- just as the first Gotha pilot, apparently tired of waiting around, released a powerful Phoenix missile at the giant support strut. 

Normally the base's supports were protected by nearly impenetrable shielding- but General Tao had already disabled the shields of Jungle Base. The warhead detonated, almost ten feet of the support strut vaporizing instantly. The remaining three supports groaned under the new weight suddenly imposed upon them. Meanwhile, the Digi-Destined had reached the soft, spongy ground that made up the jungle floor. General Miyamoto drew his blaster. "We've got to get to that building over there," he said, pointing. "The motor pool." The Digi-Destined raced across the jungle floor, looking anxiously for armed guards- but apparently General Tao's forces hadn't reached this section of the base yet. When they reached the motor pool, it was deserted. General Miyamoto frowned. There should at least be a guard or two on duty... Then his hand touched something wet. Blood. Sprawled over the back of a light tank was the body of one of his troopers- or what was left of him, anyway. The corpse looked to have been badly mangled... 

Suddenly, there was a skittering in the far right corner of the room. A large, scorpion-like creature with multiple eyes and an insectile body emerged into the gloom, its deadly sharp-tipped stinger poised to strike. "It's Scorpiomon!" Sora cried. "But what can we do?" Biyomon said in horror. "We can't digivolve!" "Digi-Desssstined..." Scorpiomon hissed. The insect Digimon skittered forward, his beady eyes fastened on his intended victims. "_Blue Blaster_!" Agumon cried. "_Spiral Twister_!" "_Pepper Breath!"_

The attacks of the Rookies didn't even seem to phase the monster. He skittered forward another few steps, now less than a dozen feet away from the Digi-Destined. Suddenly, General Miyamoto whipped out the long, futuristic looking weapon Matt had seen him pull out of a weapons locker earlier: a disruptor. Setting it up on a small, three-legged tripod, the general aimed carefully. "What are you doing?" Scorpiomon asked curiously. "Weaponssss fire will not affect me!" General Miyamoto pulled the trigger. A brilliant beam of pulsing green light shot at Scorpiomon, seeming to envelope his entire body. "What'ssss happening to me?" Scorpiomon cried. "Noooooo!" With a final, incandescent green flash, Scorpiomon simply disintegrated. It was as if he'd never been. 

When the others recovered from their shocked silence, General Miyamoto was the first to speak. "We were lucky that wasn't a very strong Digimon," he said. "The first disruptor test models failed against the more powerful ones. There's a stronger prototype in my landspeeder- but it's one of the few that exist on this world. We'd better get going, before General Tao and his men find out we're down here." The Digi-Destined followed General Miyamoto to a futuristic looking hovercraft. "Climb in," he said. "It's not very well armed, I'm afraid- only two light laser cannons forward. But it's the fastest craft we have here, and we need to get to Tokyo as fast as possible." "Tokyo? Then- we're in Japan?" Mimi asked hesitantly. "Of course we are- I'll explain on the way," the general said, tossing his bag of equipment into the back. Suddenly, they heard a loud rumbling sound combined with the groaning of fatigued metal from somewhere outside. 

Racing to the entrance of the motor pool, Matt looked in the direction of the base- and saw with alarm that it was tilted at a crazy angle, set to fall at any moment right on top of the Digi-Destined. That missile strike must have done more damage than he'd thought! He ran back toward the others, who were just getting settled in the landspeeder. "We've got to get going!" he shouted. "That missile strike did a lot of damage- the base is getting ready to fall down on us any second!" That got the others moving. Matt swung into the back seat next to a startled (but secretly rather pleased) Mimi, and General Miyamoto started the engine. A low, vibrant hum filled the motor pool- the landspeeder's electric engine warming up. 

Miyamoto backed the craft up, then slowly began to accelerate toward the entrance. They'd just about made it out, when a squad of guards bearing the insignia of the viper appeared, barring the entrance. Their drawn weapons were leveled at the general and the Digi-Destined. "Well, well," General Tao said, stepping out from their midst. "It appears we've caught you, after all. Get out of the landspeeder." "I don't listen to traitors," General Miyamoto said defiantly. "What was that?" Tao exclaimed, drawing his blaster. Abruptly, Miyamoto whipped something out of his officer's jacket and threw it at the ground in front of the landspeeder. A cloud of smoke blossomed up from the point of impact. Tao and his men began coughing and waving at the air, trying frantically to see what was in front of them. Meanwhile, General Miyamoto rammed the speed rheostat to full. The small craft rammed through the middle of the grouped men, bursting out the entrance of the motor pool. 

Scattered blaster fire came from behind as fresh troops came swarming in from the direction of the base- but General Miyamoto and the Digi-Destined were too far ahead of them now. The landspeeder raced through the trees, sometimes with only inches to spare as Miyamoto concentrated hard on the controls, executing pinpoint maneuvers that left Mimi dizzy. And in the background, Jungle Base fell to the ground, an enormous, incandescent eruption of smoke and flame that bathed the gloomy jungle underworld in a sudden unnatural light. "Well," Sora said at last, looking back at the flaming ruins, "At least that takes care of General Tao and his men." Miyamoto looked away from the base for a moment, stunned. The landspeeder slowed to a hovering stop. "He was a good man, once," the general said at last. "But somehow, the darkness just got to him..."

"Why can't we digivolve?" Agumon asked, curious. "Agumon," Tai said, "Now probably isn't the best-" General Miyamoto cut him off with a wave of his hand. "No," he said, "He has a right to know... Years ago, when the Warlock Lord conquered Japan, the rebels hid out in the mountains near Tokyo. The Dark Lord knew he couldn't hope to wipe them all out, and the remnants of the Digi-Destined were still out there somewhere- so somehow, he used his powers to create this place. We call it the Forbidden Jungle. Everything within seems frozen in time somehow- we've even tried cutting some of this mess down, but whenever we manage to knock down a tree, it grows back again almost overnight. That's why no digivolutions can take place- the digivices should work fine anywhere else in the world. But for some reason, this place prohibits normal digivolving." 

T.K. reached idly forward to brush a stray branch out of his path- and gasped in shock as a burning pain lanced through his arm. Glistening black fibers seemed to coat the limb- and T.K. abruptly realized why the Forbidden Jungle stopped the digivices from working. "That's why nobody can digivolve!" he exclaimed aloud. "The trees- they're made out of control spires!" "_Pepper Breath_!" Agumon cried. The tree limb was reduced to ash. "Well," Matt said wryly, "I didn't manage to get a good look at the thing before Agumon toasted it- but I think T.K. was right. I _knew there was something wrong about this place." Suddenly, as if to accentuate Matt's words, the shrieking of a jet engine resounded through the jungle. _

A Gotha fighter rocketed through the canopy overhead- then abruptly turned, laser cannons blazing, as its pilot caught sight of the Digi-Destined. The blasts missed- but not by far. "We've got to get going!" Mimi shouted. "Right." Miyamoto said. "Tai- take over for me." "What- me?!" Tai asked, incredulous. "You want ME to pilot this thing?" General Miyamoto ignored Tai's exclamations, continuing. "Matt," he said, gesturing, "Take the weapons console. I've got a little surprise ready for that Gotha. Let's get moving!" Tai slid quickly behind the wheel, scarcely waiting for Matt to take the seat beside him before he rammed the acceleration pedal to the floor. The landspeeder took off like a rocket with Tai turning the wheel frantically, slipping them through the trees with inches to spare like he actually knew what he was doing. "See," he called back, turning to look at his friends, "This isn't so-" "WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" Mimi screamed. 

Matt's finger stabbed at the weapons console. Brilliant red beams of light vaporized the trunk of the tree in front of them- just in time, as the landspeeder raced through the spot where it had been. The topmost layers of the tree crashed into the jungle somewhere behind them. "Watch where you're driving!" General Miyamoto called angrily from the back. From a compartment in the back of the landspeeder, Miyamoto withdrew a long, thin crate. Prying it open he revealed a large gray tube and two mushroom-shaped shells. "A rocket launcher?" T.K. asked. "Exactly," the general said, "But I've only got two shells... I'll have to make them count." The fighter flashed by, too quickly for Kari's eyes to see- but Miyamoto, aiming carefully, squeezed the trigger. A pillar of smoke and flame exploded out of the rocket launcher- but just then, Tai swerved tightly to avoid yet another tree, and the shell missed narrowly. Miyamoto swore vehemently, reaching back for the one remaining rocket. 

He sighted down along the narrow tube, tracking the fighter's movements carefully. The Gotha came around for another pass... and Miyamoto squeezed the trigger again. This time, the rocket flew straight, unwavering- and the Gotha fighter disintegrated in a violent explosion, its burning fuel scattering to set the forest behind them alight. Tai weaved wildly through the trees, Matt at the gunnery controls to blast away whatever objects Tai was about to plow into. Less than an hour later, they'd arrived at the outskirts of the old city. This part of Tokyo King Etemon had mostly left alone- partly because most of the residents had left to escape the fallout from what had once been Odaiba. "Wow..." Matt said, looking at the devastation some of the buildings closest to the blast had endured. "I grew up near here," Tai said, looking around at the destruction the Digimon army had caused. "Look what they've done to this place." 

"We still have awhile to go before we reach our rendezvous point," General Miyamoto said heavily. "Let's get going." The landspeeder sped up slightly, still moving slowly enough so the Digi-Destined could see what had become of their home- an urban wasteland, poisoned by radiation and soaked through with the blood of millions of innocent people. Nothing could ever grow there, and the people who had once lived in the devastated old buildings would never return. In time, what remained of the district would finally crumble into dust, leaving only the parched, barren earth behind as if nothing else had ever even existed. Stunned at the horrors the armies of the Dark Lord had wrought, Tai slowed the landspeeder once again, passing through the Arch of Triumph that had been erected at Odaiba's entrance following the defeat of the Chinese- just before the Dark Lord had emerged from the Digital Portal to crush them all. 

As the Digi-Destined bowed their heads at the sight of the nuclear wasteland the rest of Odaiba had become, they didn't notice the dark form creeping around one of the massive pillars that supported the Arch of Triumph. They didn't see the gleaming metallic hand extend from within the crimson robes, preparing to fire a lethal blast that truly would destroy the Digi-Destined once and for all. Abruptly, a warning light began to flash on the landspeeder's display. "Digimon scanner?" Tai read. "What's this?" General Miyamoto jerked upright. "There's an enemy Digimon in the area!" he shouted. "Let's get out of here!" Reaching over, General Miyamoto floored the accelerator and jerked the wheel to the right- and action that saved all of their lives. Just as the landspeeder began to turn, an incandescent beam of blue light sliced into the underside of the craft, destroying the repulsors that kept it afloat. 

With a resounding crash, the vehicle fell to the ground, skidding into the side of a nearby building. Tai struggled to raise his head from where it had impacted the dashboard, squinting to read the display. One glance at the flashing sensors told him the worst. "The landspeeder's about to blow!" he shouted over the wailing alarms. "We've got to get out of here!" Quickly, the Digi-Destined and their Digimon scrambled out of the dying craft- but General Miyamoto remained motionless. His face a bloody mass, penned by a bent-in section of the landspeeder's hull, he sat helplessly as the tiny craft came closer and closer to detonation. Black smoke filled the cockpit, and flames licked hungrily ever closer to his face. 

Turning, Matt noticed that Miyamoto was still in the dying landspeeder. "Guys!" he called to the Digi-Destined. "Come help me out!" The others crowded back into the smoldering wreck and began trying to pry Miyamoto loose from the bent-in section of hull that had him penned. "Leave me..." he gasped, hard-pressed even to speak. "I told you before," Matt grunted, straining against the wreckage, "The Digi-Destined don't leave people behind." But as they strained and the metal refused to move, it became increasingly apparent that leaving the general was indeed their only option. The others began looking uncertainly towards the door- and then one of the Digimon edged in among the humans. "_Blue Blaster!" Gabumon cried, instantly vaporizing the slab of metal that had given the Digi-Destined so much trouble. _

"Now let's get out of here!" he said, helping unfasten the general's harness as the others carried him quickly out of the cockpit. When he thought they'd gotten a good distance away, Tai signaled to the others to set Miyamoto down against a burned-out skyscraper. Panting for breath, they eased the general gently into a sitting position facing the wreckage of the little craft- just as what remained of the landspeeder disappeared in a violent explosion, pieces of the vessel flying out to land hundreds of meters away. "Is everyone all right?" Mimi asked hesitantly. "Gabumon," Matt said, "If it hadn't been for you, none of us would have made it out of that landspeeder. You really saved the day back there." Blushing, the blue-furred Digimon leaned forward impulsively, catching Matt up in a tight hug. "It was nothing," he said offhandedly, though anyone who was watching could see his blush grow all the more. "Well, well..." a dark, menacing figure stalked slowly toward the Digi-Destined, crimson robes swirling around him and gleaming saber held aloft. "Isn't this a touching moment?" "King Etemon!" General Miyamoto gasped, trying to struggle to his feet. 

"So," King Etemon said, advancing on the group, "The Digi-Destined managed to survive after all." "You're the one who did this, aren't you?" Tai said angrily, gesturing toward the ruins of the devastated city that surrounded them. "You killed all these people. All the lives you've ruined, all the destruction you've caused..." he trailed off, at a loss for words in his fury. "Well," King Etemon said offhandedly, "I might have had something to do with it..." "Agumon!" Tai cried in anger. The Digimon stepped forward, needing no encouragement. "You're going to pay for everything you've done to this world!" Tai shouted. Brilliant white light flared out from the Digivice in his hand, and Agumon began to change...

"Agumon warp-digivolve to... WarGreymon!"

"Gabumon warp-digivolve to... MetalGarurumon!"

            The two Megas stood together menacingly, staring forward at King Etemon. "Well, well," he said, amused. "It appears this little game will be interesting, after all." Leaning heavily against the side of the burned-out building, General Miyamoto pulled out his disruptor. He knew he'd only get one shot...

            He lined up carefully on the gleaming metallic body of the evil king. The general watched as the Digimon gesticulated, apparently actually laughing at his two challengers. _Just a little more_... the general thought as King Etemon moved slightly to the right. The crosshairs of the weapon centered on the evil Digimon. _Got you_! he thought triumphantly. Miyamoto squeezed the trigger. A coherent beam of wicked green light streaked forward, connecting dead-on with King Etemon. The evil Digimon had time for only a single, startled exclamation as the beam intensified, the Digi-Destined looking away as the blinding green flash expanded, filling the entire area with an eerie glow. As the light dissipated, Miyamoto blinked away the afterimages to discover King Etemon- still standing exactly as he had been, laughing at the man who had just tried to end his life. "Did you really think you could harm me with that toy?" he sneered. 

Unstrapping a gleaming metal dagger from his side, King Etemon hurled the blade with flawless precision, catching the disruptor and knocking it out of the general's hand. The weapon exploded. With a violent curse, Miyamoto struggled to his feet. Drawing out his blaster, he limped toward King Etemon. Firing off shot after shot, he continued forward. The shots didn't phase King Etemon, who watched in puzzlement as the human continued forward. Snatching two grenades from his bandolier, General Miyamoto pulled the pins and tossed them at King Etemon, where they exploded harmlessly. "No!" Matt cried, seeing what Miyamoto was doing and racing forward to stop him. "You'll never win- he's just too strong!" The general shook Matt of angrily, continuing forward. The power pack on the blaster ran down, its stores exhausted by the constant firing of the past few minutes. General Miyamoto didn't seem to notice, and continued squeezing the trigger pointlessly, aiming dead on at the evil Digimon even though nothing was coming out the other end. With a single backhanded swipe, King Etemon knocked the general flying. 

With an agonized cry, Miyamoto hit the ground and was still- unconscious, or maybe dead. "You're going to pay for that," MetalGarurumon rumbled. "Oh, really?" King Etemon said, drawing forth his deadly double-edged blade once more. "Well, we'll just have to see about that." With a snarl of fury the giant wolf lunged, his fangs bared to tear out the evil Digimon's throat. King Etemon stepped easily aside, the force of MetalGarurumon's leap carrying him well past the Digimon king. "_Terra Force_!" WarGreymon roared. The giant ball of energy flew straight for King Etemon. There was no way he was going to avoid this one...

            The evil Digimon sliced through the center of the energy ball with a single slash of his sword, the two halves spinning off through the air to detonate with stunning force somewhere in the distance. Missiles streaked forward from beneath MetalGarurumon's steel wings, exploding all around King Etemon- but he didn't even seem to notice the giant wolf's relentless assault. King Etemon turned, the emerald atop his staff glowing with power. "_Scepter Blast!" the evil Digimon cried, a surge of wicked green light striking MetalGarurumon's flank. The giant wolf didn't even have time to dodge...   When the smoke from the blast cleared, the unconscious form of Gabumon lay on the ground, motionless. "One down," King Etemon said lightly. "What __is that thing?" Mimi asked in horror. King Etemon laughed mirthlessly. "__Mega Claw!" WarGreymon cried. Faster than thought, King Etemon's hand shot out. _

Grabbing WarGreymon's arm in mid-swipe, the Digimon king hurled him over his shoulder, where he fell to the ground with a groan of pain. King Etemon twisted the other Digimon's arm behind his back cruelly, laughing as WarGreymon was powerless to break the hold. His hand extended, palm forward, for the ultimate blow- but it never came. "_Hand of Fate_!" Angemon cried, the attack smashing point blank into the back of the evil Digimon's head. With a grunt of pain, the evil Digimon rolled down and over, coming to his feet with the double-edged saber in his hands. "How 'bout some _Needle Spray_!" Togemon shouted, thousands of razor-sharp needles showering the area. "_Harpoon Torpedo!" Ikkakumon roared, his missile attack streaking down from the sky. "_Meteor Wing_!" "__Electro-Shocker!" _"Celestial Arrow_!" King Etemon withstood the attacks easily. _

"You Digi-Destined never quit, do you?" he said, half to himself. "You really are no match for me. _Imperial Beam!" he cried. A broad beam of iridescent blue energy struck down between Angewomon and Togemon, draining their energy in one shot and forcing them to return to their Rookie levels. Meanwhile WarGreymon struggled back to his feet, determined to fight to the last. A single slash from King Etemon's saber had him down on the ground again, groaning in agony. "Why do you continue to fight like this?" King Etemon roared, firing blast after blast of coherent energy at the other Digimon. "Your pathetic efforts are useless!" "You think so?" Tai asked, the crest of Courage shining brightly. "Well, think again!" As one, three Digivices shone with blinding white light..._

"Ikkakumon digivolve to... Zudomon!"

"Garudamon digivolve to... Phoenixmon!"

"MegaKabuterimon digivolve to... HerculesKabuterimon!"

                                   "_Mega Electro Shocker_!" King Etemon extended his hand, palm outward, and effortlessly deflected the blast into Phoenixmon, knocking the bird Digimon from the sky. Darting quickly behind HerculesKabuterimon, King Etemon put the other Digimon in a stranglehold, laughing mirthlessly as HerculesKabuterimon gasped for air. "Remember this?" Zudomon cried. "_Vulcan's Hammer_!" Zudomon sent the giant hammer whirling through the air straight at the Digimon king- but King Etemon caught it single-handedly, throwing it back forcefully at Zudomon. "I've evolved a bit since the old days," he said offhandedly as the marine Digimon shrank back into his Rookie form. With a violent kick, King Etemon threw HerculesKabuterimon so that he landed on top of the downed WarGreymon. The emerald atop the staff at his side glowed with energy once more. "_Scepter Blast!" he cried. When the wicked green light from the blast cleared, Agumon and Tentomon lay exhausted atop each other, unable to move. "Seven Digimon... I'd say that was good day's work, wouldn't you?" he said toward the Digi-Destined. "That leaves only one more before I can destroy the Digi-Destined for good." "_Hand of Fate_!" Angemon roared from behind him. King Etemon rubbed the back of his head. "Was that attack actually supposed to harm me?" he asked. "I __think I felt something that time..." "We need more power!" T.K. shouted in frustration. In response to the young boy's need, the crest of Hope flared to life..._

"Angemon digivolve to... MagnaAngemon!"

                                   Before the glow from the digivolution had completely cleared, MagnaAngemon drew forth the mighty sword Excalibur, bringing it down in a vengeful swipe toward King Etemon's head. Stumbling backward in surprise, King Etemon was barely able to parry the blow. "Well," he said, amused, "You might actually be one worth fighting." "_Gate of Destiny!" MagnaAngemon cried, the swirling blue vortex of a Digital Portal opening behind the evil king. "You have caused so much suffering..." the angel Digimon said, forcing King Etemon back toward the vortex. "It ends here. You will not be permitted to remain in this world." "And what makes you think that you can stop me?" King Etemon asked. Faster than thought, he leapt to the side, rolling under MagnaAngemon's stroke, and came up with saber held aloft. With a growl of fury, he charged at MagnaAngemon. This time, the angel was the one barely able to parry the other's blow. _

                                   "Why don't you Digimon ever surrender?" King Etemon shouted in frustration. "Because if we did, Digimon like you would rule the world," MagnaAngemon answered, "And that can never be allowed." Pushing hard with his sword arm, MagnaAngemon forced the evil king to his knees. "Prepare to face the final judgment!" he said, relentlessly pressing down on the evil Digimon. "Never!" King Etemon roared. Keeping MagnaAngemon's sword arm at bay with his own, he swung his other arm around. "_Scepter Blast!" he roared. The angel Digimon went flying as the Digital Portal closed once more, a massive hole drilled through his midriff. "He's too strong!" the angel Digimon gasped, looking desperately backward at the Digi-Destined. "Get out of here, now! I'll try to hold him off." In spite of his terrible agony, MagnaAngemon fought to remain upright, the sword Excalibur poised before him as a last defense. _

                                   "Thank you for the fencing contest," King Etemon said, "But I really must get back to work. _Imperial Beam!" With a final cry of excruciating pain, MagnaAngemon dropped to the ground, unmoving. The Digi-Destined watched in shock as their last defender shrank into his Rookie stage, unable to believe the power of the evil king. The evil Digimon walked forward, not even breathing hard as he stood defiant before the Digi-Destined. "You should know better than to try to fight powers beyond your comprehension," he said, raising his scepter once more. As the Digi-Destined looked on in horror, King Etemon laughed..._


	7. Author's Note

My first Digimon fic, and the longest of any of them, so far- on hold until further notice. Maybe I'll finish it some other time, odds are I'll never get around to it. Anyone else wants to continue it, fine by me. It's been a blast. -Tom 


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